Expedition 9 NASA ISS Science Officer and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. [NASA Photo]
Expedition 9 NASA ISS Science Officer and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke, KE5AIT. [NASA Photo] |
NEWINGTON, CT, May 27, 2004--NASA Expedition 9 International Space Station Science Officer and Flight Engineer Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, logged what's believed to be his first-ever Amateur Radio contact May 25 from the spacecraft's NA1SS. The QSO also marked the first Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school group contact for the Expedition 9 crew. The US astronaut and Russian cosmonaut and Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, arrived aboard the ISS in late April and have been settling in. Fincke advised a dozen youngsters gathered at Erie Planetarium in Pennsylvania, that one of the first tasks he and Padalka must undertake is a space walk. The crew needs to replace a failed remote power controller module for one of the four ISS control moment gyroscopes, or CMGs.
"I'm really looking forward to it," Fincke told the youngsters, who attend several schools in the Erie area. The space walk should take place in the next couple of weeks or so, he said. NASA managers decided this week that Fincke and Padalka will use the Russian Orlan space suits for their "extra-vehicular activity" or EVA. The crew's efforts to troubleshoot and repair cooling system problems in the US EVA Mobility Units were not successful, the space agency said. In addition to the CMG repair EVA, the Expedition 9 crew will carry out two other space walks during their six-month tour.
Responding to another question, Fincke said he's really
enjoying the weightlessness of space, although he noted, some caution is in
order. "I love being weightless," he said. I can fly around like Superman and
pick up very big things." He cautioned, however, that crew members need to
"take it nice and easy" in weightlessness to avoid banging into things and injuring
themselves.
 Fincke works in the Quest airlock aboard the ISS. Two Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuits are visible in the foreground. The crew's efforts to troubleshoot and repair cooling system problems in the suits proved unsuccessful. |
For fun and recreation, Fincke said, the crew has laptop
computers and can watch DVDs--although there's no television aboard. "The whole
space station is a little bit fun to play in and do fun things," he said, "but
just being aboard the International Space Station is like a dream come true, so
it's all fun--every minute of every day is really fun." He pointed out in
answer to a later question that the 180-ton space station has "lots of room,"
especially for a crew of only two people.
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Fincke also explained that even though the crew can't take
baths or showers "we do wash ourselves carefully every day--maybe even twice a
day depending on how many times we do our exercises" using wet washcloths. As
for washing clothes, he said, they don't. "We just use our clothes for a little
bit longer than you do on the planet and then we just throw them away." The ISS
has no bathtubs, showers, sinks or microwaves aboard, he said.
 Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, checks out a Russian Orlan spacesuit aboard the ISS. He and Fincke will don these suits in a couple of weeks to perform an outside repair on the space station. [NASA Photo] |
In all, the youngsters asked 18 questions of Fincke before the ISS went over the horizon from the telebridge station of Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, in South Australia. MCI donated a teleconferencing link to handle the two-way audio between VK5ZAI and the planetarium.
Fincke has twice before visited the Erie Planetarium, which is run by the Erie County Historical Society. "Visit your local planetarium," he advised the students as the QSO came to a conclusion. Assisting Planetarium Director Jim Gavio during the ARISS contact were Ron Prindle, N3BXL, Paul Semrau, N3UMM, Jim Tolbert Jr, WW3S, and Jim Tolbert III, KB3IXG. Will Marchant, KC6ROL, moderated the event.
ARISS is an
international educational outreach program with US participation by ARRL, NASA
and AMSAT.
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