[amsat-bb] Re: Flabob Airport ISS Contact

[John Spasojevich]

People....please.  Clint is simply very excited to have had a wonderful
ARISS contact.  We had 700 people at a contact I was involved in some years
ago and after the applause died down most of the adults were in tears,
that's how powerfully emotional an ARISS contact can be, especially for a
poor school whose students are thought of as the next generation of broom
pushers.

As the audio "distributor" for the contacts, I have the pleasure of sending
the live audio into IRLP, Webstream and AMSAT's Echolink Conference Server
for many of those contacts regardless of time they take place. The part you
hear, the contact itself, is the capstone and in many cases just one part
of an overall program the school has embarked on to stimulate interest in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. As a School Advisor I've shared
in several and each one is a thrill.

ARISS won't be around forever, so the more good we can do now, the better
off we'll be down the road.

73,
John - AG9D
ARISS Team

On Tue, Apr 24, 2012 at 7:41 PM, Clint Bradford
<clintbrad4d at earthlink.net>wrote:

> FROM PETER >> ... excellent work ... children are our greatest asset ...
>
> Now THERE'S someone who "gets it!" Thank you, Peter VE7NGP!
>
> FROM CLUELESS >> ... Too bad its happened many times before ...
>
> Huh? "Too bad?" Let's get some facts out here.
>
> YES - SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY ARISS contacts were completed before ours
> at Flabob last week.
>
> That is 720 groups of students learning more about their respective
> countries' space programs.
>
> That is thousands of classroom hours learning more about space and amateur
> radio.
>
> That is 720 audiences anxiously hearing - at first - no response from the
> ISS. But then, upon the second
> or third attempt to contact via amateur radio - a palpable "feeling of
> awe" from all in attendance when an
> astronaut first replies.
>
> That is 720 audiences wildly applauding after the completion of their
> contacts.
>
> There are about three entities who can schedule radio time with the ISS:
> the various space programs
> involved, the various departments of defense involved, and AMATEUR RADIO
> via these ARISS
> contacts.
>
> There is not a single student nor audience member nor amateur radio
> volunteer who thinks anything less
> of their contacts with the ISS - simple because "it has happened many
> times before."
>
> I have 211 attendees who are extremely proud to have been "Number 721"
> last week.
>
> So, to the person who wrote, " ... Too bad its happened many times before
> ... " - Either you are totally
> unaware of how wonderful these projects are for all involved, or have
> never been involved first-hand in such
> a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I cannot think of any other reason one
> would make such an ignorant
> comment.
>
> Clint Bradford, K6LCS
> http://www.iss-flabob.com
> 909-241-7666
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Sent via AMSAT-BB at amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
> Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program!
> Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
>