[amsat-bb] ARISS Update October 21, 2008

[Frank H. Bauer]

All,

I think you all can agree that this has been a stellar and an historic week
for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station!  

Speaking on behalf of the ARISS international team of volunteers and the
AMSAT community, we really appreciate the overwhelming flood of positive
comments that we have received from the ham radio community and the general
public regarding the ham radio operations on ISS this past week.
Collectively, we have all made history..starting with Richard, W5KWQ and his
father Owen, W5LFL and continuing with all of you that participated and/or
volunteered in his ISS journey.  And along the way, we have sparked the
imaginations of thousands of students.   Got more interest in satellite
operations.  And, I understand, excited some youths to the point where they
are now  licensed.   

Richard Garriott, W5KWQ has been extremely prolific on the ARISS ham radio
system, making hundreds of voice contacts, operating the packet system
during the crew sleep times and transmitting hundreds of SSTV images
throughout the day.  He put the newest ARISS hardware, the Kenwood VC-H1 to
good use, performing the vast majority of contacts with this hardware system
coupled with the Kenwood D700 Transciever.  The remaining SSTV downlinks
were performed with the software-based SSTV system---using either the
SpaceCam software or MMSSTV software that are on-board ISS.  Given the
limited availability of ISS computer systems, the ARISS team will continue
to utilize the VC-H1 well after Richard's flight.  So don't be surprised if
you see some VC-H1 SSTV operations from Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, during his stay
as the commander of Expedition 18.

The team apologizes for the temporary shut-down of the ARISS SSTV server.
We have been a victim of our own success in that the site has been
overwhelmed by the popularity of Richard's SSTV images.  We hope to get the
system operational very soon.  This may take a URL change, so please check
the listservs and the ARISS SSTV blog http://www.ariss-sstv.blogspot.com/
for updated information.  http://www.ariss.org will also carry updates.

ARISS Development and Operations

As a reminder to all, the ARISS team is an international volunteer working
group that is sponsored by three major entities in each ISS region---the
National Amateur Radio Society, the International AMSAT organization and the
National Space Agency.  The 5 regions that comprise the ISS development are
Canada, Europe Japan, Russia, and the USA.  In the USA, the two ham radio
sponsors are the ARRL and AMSAT-NA.  NASA is the USA space agency sponsor.  

Over 12 years ago, the formulation of the ARISS working group was a specific
request from NASA.  They wanted the amateur radio community to
internationally consolidate into one team all the development and operations
of the ISS Ham radio system.  This specific request from NASA, and
ultimately the other space agencies, was to provide a single focus of ham
radio on ISS within the amateur radio community and within the space
agencies.  As a result, the 5 international delegations that make up ARISS
tightly coordinate the day-to-day mission operations as well as the
strategic hardware development planning and implementation.  The success of
this past week would not have been realized without this tight coordination,
particularly between our Russian colleagues, led by Sergey Samburov, RV3DR
and our international operations team, led by Will Marchant, KC6ROL.  

Individuals are always welcome to volunteer their support to ARISS through
their regional delegation.  Please see the ARISS web site
http://www.ariss.org for more information on your regional delegates.

Voice QSOs

We have received some reports of individuals providing advice to the ISS
on-orbit crew or making specifc requests to the ISS crew to change or modify
the ARISS hardware, on-board software or ham radio operations.  The ARISS
team would like to remind the amateur community that we all have a duty to
the international space agencies to coordinate ISS ham radio operations
through ARISS.  Our advice to you is that if you have a specific request or
idea, that you forward it to one of the ARISS international delegates or
ARISS team leaders.  These individuals are identified on the ARISS web site
http://www.ariss.org.  Also, please remember that there are a *lot* of hams
that would like to get their QSO with the ISS (including me!)  So please use
courtesy and keep your contact short.  And once you have made a contact,
please do not go for a repeat.despite the intense temptation to do so.  I
think you all know that this is an "open" hobby.  So all are listening in,
observing and remembering your operating habits.

On behalf of the ARISS team, I thank you all for your interest in Ham Radio
on ISS.  Enjoy the contacts!  And remember the ARISS teams and organizations
that have made the ham radio system on ISS such a tremendous success.  This
includes the national amateur radio societies and international AMSAT
organizations.  As well as the international space agencies and the ISS
on-board crew members.  

73,  Frank Bauer, KA3HDO
AMSAT-V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs
ARISS International Chairman