[amsat-bb] Fwd: AMSAT-BB and SAREX

[Martha]

All,



My heartiest of congratulations to all the Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) volunteers and their international
sponsoring organizations on this, the 10th anniversary of the first Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school group contact.



It is breathtaking to see all that you have done this past decade.  Ham
radio operations on ISS started with the first Moscow/USA checkout contact
on November 13, 2000—just 11 days after Expedition 1 took up residence on
ISS.  That paved the way for the historic first school contact between the
students at the Burbank School in Burbank, Illinois and Bill Shepherd,
KD5GSL on December 21, 2000.  Long-time ARISS volunteer Charlie Sufana,
AJ9N, mentored that first contact…preparing the Burbank students, teachers
and community for an activity that they will remember for the rest of their
lives.  Since then, the ARISS team’s volunteer spirit and can-do attitude
have kept the ARISS stations on ISS operational the entire decade--through
all 26 crew expeditions.  Over 560 schools or organizations have performed
ARISS contacts -- inspiring tens of thousands of students and enabling
millions and millions, worldwide, to experience the human spaceflight
journey and to share in the excitement and camaraderie of the ham radio
hobby.  The international team has installed antennas and equipment in
several ISS modules, deployed SuitSat, delivered ARISSat, and a school
contact was a prominent “star” in the IMAX ISS 3D movie.  Most importantly,
you have inspired a legion of students to pursue careers in science,
technology, engineering and math.



On my desk is a copy of NASA’s “Reference Guide to the ISS.”  I recently
noticed that on the back cover is a beautiful photograph of ISS with the Sun
shining prominently on one of the ARISS antennas mounted on the Russian
Service Module.  That photograph reminds me of a story from the U.S.
Constitutional Convention when statesmen Benjamin Franklin, looking towards
the president's chair, at the back of which a rising sun happened to be
painted, observed to a few members near him, that painters had found it
difficult to distinguish in their art a rising sun from a setting sun.
Franklin said "I have often…looked at that behind the president without
being able to tell whether it was rising or setting: But now at length I
have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun."



Indeed….the sun that shines over ARISS is a rising sun.



Congratulations to the ARISS international team and their sponsoring
organizations!!



73,  Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO

December 21, 2010











-- 
73- Martha