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 Previous: The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler |  Next: CNCS Emergency Communication Training Grant News |
 Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, says his two space walks were among the most exciting moments of his life in space. [NASA Photo] |
 Chiao logged a record 23 ARISS school group contacts during his 6-1/2 month tour of duty aboard the ISS. He's seen here at the ARISS Phase 2 station in the crew's quarters. [NASA Photo] |
 Youngsters at Fort Ross Elementary School in California get ready for their chat with Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW. [Photo courtesy of John Sperry, KE6IRX] |
 A Fort Ross student asks her question of Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW. [Photo courtesy of John Sperry, KE6IRX] |
 Just arrived: The Expedition 11 crew of Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR (left), and John Phillips, KE5DRY, is now settling in aboard the ISS. The first ARISS school contact is set for May 4. [NASA Photo] |
NEWINGTON, CT, Apr 26, 2005--As he wrapped up his last successful Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school group contact before heading home, Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, also set a new ARISS record. Chiao's contact April 19 with youngsters at Schulhaus Feld 1 in Richterswil, Switzerland, marked his 23rd ARISS school group contact. That tops the previous record of 22 QSOs set by Expedition 3 Crew Commander Frank Culbertson, KD5OPQ, in 2001-2002. Chiao returned to Earth with crewmate Salizhan Sharipov and ESA Astronaut Roberto Vittorio, IZ6ERU, on April 24. During the contact between NA1SS and HB9IRM, Chiao told the eight, nine and ten-year-old youngsters that the ISS is still growing.
"There will be a few more modules added to the ISS. As soon as the shuttle starts flying again, we'll resume major construction," Chiao explained. "There will be a European module, the Columbus, of course, and also the Japanese module, the JEM module, and a few others following." NASA plans its first space shuttle "return to flight" mission for May.
The last ARISS school group contact of Chiao's duty tour was the first for Switzerland. Chiao told the youngsters that he had a nice view of the Swiss Alps and the Zurich region from his vantage point some 350 km above Earth. Before the ISS went out of range, Chiao was able to answer all 20 questions the Richterswil pupils had prepared. As he went over the horizon, he wished the students "all the very best of luck," and--as he'd urged other school groups in previous contacts--told them to "reach for the stars and keep on dreaming." At least two newspapers published reports of the Richterswil contact.
Chiao, who said he enjoyed getting to answer questions about life in space posed by students on Earth, shifted into an accelerated schedule of ARISS school contacts as his duty tour drew to a close. His penultimate school QSO occurred April 15 with students at Fort Ross Elementary School in Cazadero, California, some 90 miles north of San Francisco. The school has an enrollment of just 50 students in kindergarten through grade 8.
Apparently the forest of tall redwoods surrounding the small
school blocked signals, causing a slight delay in the start of the Fort Ross event as the ISS came over the horizon. Once contact was established, however,
signals were reported to be excellent, and seventh and eighth graders at Fort Ross managed to get 15 of their 20 questions asked and answered. During the direct VHF
contact between NA1SS and WA6M, students wanted to know--among other
things--how small an object Chiao could view from the ISS, how high the
spacecraft was flying and how many space walks he's done.
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Bob Dickson, WA6M, served as the Earth station control operator, with assistance from David Horvitz, KD6BPS, and John Sperry, KE6IRX. The ARISS contact received news coverage in the Independent Coast Observer.
Now aboard the ISS is the Expedition 11 crew of Commander Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, and NASA ISS Science Officer John Phillips, KE5DRY. The ARISS school group schedule is on hiatus for a few days as the new team settles in. The Expedition 11 crew's first school contact is set for May 4.
ARISS is an
international educational outreach with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and
NASA.
| Previous: The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler | Next: CNCS Emergency Communication Training Grant News |
