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 Previous: ARRL Section Manager Testifies on BPL before State Senate Committee |  Next: ISS Gets on the Air with New Ham Gear |
NEWINGTON, CT, Dec 22, 2003--Santa Claus will have company in the sky above most US cities on Christmas Eve.
"The International Space Station will be
visible, weather permitting, with its two crewmen snug in sleeping bags secured
to the walls, with visions of dehydrated turkey dancing in their heads," NASA
says. The ISS will pass over cities from Los Angeles to New York and most
points in between, and the space station will be easily visible at various
times December 23-26.
 ISS Expedition 8 crew commander Mike Foale, KB5UAC, and cosmonaut and flight engineer Alex "Sasha" Kaleri, U8MIR, enjoy a meal in the ISS galley. [NASA Photo] |
 It's not known if ISS crew commander Mike Foale, KB5UAC--shown here with the new Phase 2 Kenwood transceiver (the control head is mounted on the bulkhead)--will be able to get on the air from NA1SS while the space station is over North America. [NASA Photo] |
There's been no information from the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team to indicate that NA1SS will be active, but it might be a good idea to monitor the 145.800-MHz downlink frequency just in case (the North American uplink frequency is 144.49 MHz). More information is available on NASA's Satellite Sighting Information page.
ISS Expedition 8 crew commander Mike Foale, KB5UAC, and cosmonaut and flight engineer Alex "Sasha" Kaleri, U8MIR, now are more than a third of the way into their six-month ISS duty tour. For the holiday, they will enjoy as traditional a Christmas as possible while in orbit some 230 miles above Earth. NASA says the crew has saved a special ration of smoked turkey just for the occasion. They also have Velcro ornaments and a space-saving NOMEX Christmas tree.
"The crew has special Christmas stockings, filled by Santa before they left Earth, with special treats and gifts from family and friends," NASA says. On Christmas Day, they will see and speak with their families via a two-way video linkup. Back on Earth, teams of flight controllers and experiment investigators in Houston, Texas, Huntsville, Alabama, and Moscow will spend Christmas with the crew as well.
"Keeping the station operating well is a 24/7 job," said NASA Flight Director Jeff Hanley. "And while we can't be with our families, we all will feel privileged to be here. We are sharing our holiday with our crew in space."
By tradition, the ground control staff will
join together during Christmas Day to share video greetings with the crew.
Foale and Kaleri are scheduled to return to Earth April 29. For more
information about the ISS, its crew and a special feature on the history of
holidays in space, visit the NASA Human
Spaceflight Web site.--NASA
| Previous: ARRL Section Manager Testifies on BPL before State Senate Committee | Next: ISS Gets on the Air with New Ham Gear |
