 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
 Previous: The K7RA Solar Update |  Next: Young Japanese Astronaut Hopefuls Discuss ET, Other Topics |
NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 16, 2005--An unpiloted Russian Progress cargo ship that docked with the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this month carried two new Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) systems among its 2.5-ton cargo of fuel, food and supplies. Onboard are the SuitSat Amateur Radio hardware and the Slow Scan Television (SSTV) hardware and software.
 During an August spacewalk, Expedition 11 NASA ISS Science Officer John Phillips, KE5DRY, wears an Orlan spacesuit of the type the Expedition 12 crew will deploy as "SuitSat" in December. [NASA] |
"The successful docking of Progress to ISS on September 10 culminates the successful design, development, certification and delivery of these two ARISS Projects," said ARISS International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO. "The ISS Expedition 11 crew will unpack this equipment, making it available for installation, use and deployment by the Expedition 12 crew."
The Expedition 12 crew of Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev is set to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan October 1 in a Soyuz transporter.
The SuitSat Amateur Radio gear and a school artwork project are to be installed inside an outdated Russian Orlan spacesuit. SuitSat then will be deployed from the ISS during a spacewalk--or Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA), as NASA calls the excursions outside the space station. Bauer says that's expected to occur in December. "More information on SSTV and SuitSat will be provided as we get closer to installation and deployment," he added.
During its limited lifetime, SuitSat will beam down special messages and an SSTV image from within the Orlan spacesuit as it floats in space. SuitSat's radio system will allow hams and students to track the suit and decode special international messages, spacesuit telemetry and a pre-programmed SSTV image through its specially built digital voice messaging system and Amateur Radio transmitter. SuitSat will have transmit-only capability and will run on the spacesuit's battery power.
As part of the SuitSat project, the payload will also include a CD with hundreds of school pictures, artwork, poems, and student signatures. Two identical CDs were flown into space, Bauer said. "One will go in the suit, and the other will be for the crew to review. Using the crew CD, we hope to downlink these images using the SSTV system that will be located inside the Zvezda Service Module once it is operational." The CD contains some 300 items from all over the world--Japan/Asia, Europe, Russia, Canada, US, South America and Africa. Several NASA Explorer Schools participated as well as numerous ESA and Russian Space Agency-sponsored schools.
The ARISS-Russia team headed by Sergei Samburov, RV3DR,
first came up with the idea for SuitSat, and the concept came in for extensive
discussion during the joint AMSAT Symposium/ARISS International Team meeting in
October 2004. The project--called Radioskaf or Radio Sputnik in Russia--is being led by project manager A. P. Alexandrov and Deputy Project Manager A.
Poleshuk from RSC Energia. On the US side, AMSAT member Lou McFadin, W5DID, has
headed up the hardware project development.
 (L-R) AMSAT International Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, and Sergei Samburov, RV3DR, at the 2004 AMSAT/ARISS conference in the DC area. "SuitSat" was Samburov's brainchild. |
Due to the challenging development time constraints, the SuitSat design concept matured and evolved quickly in the past 11 months. "In a very short timeframe, the ARISS International Team designed, built and tested a simple, yet fully featured system that we hope will inspire hams and students around the world," Bauer said. During the past several months, the SuitSat and SSTV systems passed the stringent NASA and Energia safety certification process and were deemed flight-ready--clearing the way for their launch into space aboard the latest Progress vehicle.
The new SSTV system will be installed inside the Service Module as an integral part of the ARISS ham radio station, NA1SS/RS0ISS. It will transmit and receive JPEG still images from the ISS. When fully operational, the SSTV system will be able to send up to 480 images per day from the ISS as well as receive images from earthbound radio amateurs.
"This system will utilize the already installed Kenwood D-700 radio and the ARISS antennas mounted on the Service Module," Bauer explained. He said the SSTV equipment flown on the Progress 19P flight includes the SpaceCam software, a radio/computer interface module and data cables. A dedicated laptop for SSTV operations will be launched on a subsequent Progress vehicle.
"On behalf of the ARISS International team, I want to congratulate the SuitSat hardware development team and the SSTV development team on a job well done," Bauer said. "We look forward to future operation of these systems on ISS, inspiring the next generation of space explorers. Congratulations!"
ARISS is an
international educational outreach with US participation from ARRL, AMSAT and
NASA.
| Previous: The K7RA Solar Update | Next: Young Japanese Astronaut Hopefuls Discuss ET, Other Topics |
