ISS Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, uses the ARISS Phase 2 gear aboard the space station. [NASA Photo]
ISS Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, uses the ARISS Phase 2 gear aboard the space station. [NASA Photo] |
NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 11, 2005--Cadets from the 1132nd Air Training Corps Squadron from Stalham High School in Norfolk, England, made contact via Amateur Radio February 2 with the International Space Station. The direct VHF school group contact between GB2ATC and NA1SS was sponsored by the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. ISS Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, responded to 20 questions from the cadets, who ranged in age from 13 to 18. He told the cadets that while he and crewmate Salizhan Sharipov did not witness the December 29 tsunami, they have been able to view the aftermath from more than 200 miles above Earth.
“We were able to get some pretty striking photographs of the damage,” Chiao told the high schoolers. “It was really a tragedy for us to witness.” He explained that it was not until several days after the disaster that the spacecraft’s orbit brought the crew over that part of the world during daylight.
Another cadet wanted to know how the Expedition 10 crew celebrated the arrival of the new year.
“We marked New Year’s Eve as we went around
the earth and marked the big cities,” Chiao responded. “Of course
we didn’t have very much to toast with, but we did have some chocolates
to enjoy.”
 Tsunami-stricken northwestern Sumatra (Indonesia), as seen from the International Space Station (ISS). [NASA Photo] |
Cadets also asked what inspired Chiao to become an astronaut and who were his role models. He told the students that seeing the early Apollo moon landings in the late 1960s stimulated his interest in pursuing a career in space. He cited astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins as his early heroes.
The youngsters also asked what the crew members ate and drank in space. Chiao told the cadets that there was both American and Russian-style cuisine aboard. As for beverages, he mentioned juices, coffee and tea. “Unfortunately, that’s about all we have,” he quipped. “We don’t have any of the good stuff on board.”
Chiao signed off at the conclusion of the nearly nine-minute contact with “Best wishes to the Air Training Corps!”
Organizing the QSO on the local level was the squadron’s commander Terry Owen, G4PSH. The Radio Society of Great Britain’s (RSGB) mobile radio communications demonstration vehicle GB4FUN was on hand to back up the Earth station in the event anything broke down. Fortunately, that did not happen. Owen called the ARISS QSO “a fantastic opportunity” for his squadron’s members that would help with projects the schools were doing on space exploration.
The RSGB’s Carlos Eavis, G0AKI, assisted with the
contact and also garnered a post-contact interview with the BBC. “I think
it shows them science has a value, not only as a teaching aid but also in
everyday life,” he told the Beeb. “We’re surrounded by
technology. They need to understand that physics does apply to real
life.” An area newspaper also reported on the ARISS school group QSO.
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The 25-member 1132nd Squadron meets three times a week. In addition to Amateur Radio activities, the students also engage in rock climbing and gliding. In addition to the regular high school curriculum, their studies include principles of flight, spaceflight, radar and radio communication.
ARISS is an
international educational outreach with US participation by ARRL, NASA and
AMSAT.
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