Re: [sarex] Thank you Mir

["Farrell Winder" <fwinder@xxxxxxx>]

ALLEN, 
	A GREAT,  GREAT STORY, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR SON SEAN, KC2DIJ. YES,
AND I ALSO HEARD JP'S SIDE OF THE CONVERSATION TO SEAN!.  WE HOPE HE WILL
BECOME ONE  THE LEADERS TO CARRY ON WITH COMMUNICATIONS TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND OTHER SATELLITE COMMUNICATION OPPORTUNITIES
SUCH AS P3D.  73, FARRELL WINDER, W8ZCF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

----------
> From: Allen Emer <aemer@monmouth.com>
> To: amsat-bb@AMSAT.Org; sarex@AMSAT.Org
> Subject: [sarex] Thank you Mir
> Date: Sunday, August 15, 1999 1:39 PM
> 
> Two and a half years ago when I was running a direct school contact with
> Andy thomas on Mir, my 9 year old son Sean who was to run the Az/El
> antenna controls told me he wanted to get his ham license in time for the
> contact. He studied each night for a month and a half
> and got his Tech ticket, and ran his antenna control position as KC2DIJ.
> 
> Over the next two years he never got to talk directly with an astronaut
but
> Sean has always been the technician behind the scenes on past Mir
contacts
> and SSTV. On Field day this year we set up the sat station and he
suggested
> testing it on Mir. Much to our surprise I got a quick voice contact with
JP
> as he went over the horizon. That night he went home to bed planning to
come
> back in the morning. I had a voice contact with the Cosmonauts at 2:00am
in
> the morning and got everyone nearby a contact also. When Sean came back
to
> camp in the morning and heard all about what happened that night I think
he
> realized he had blown his chance to make this rare radio contact. He
looked
> so sad. We didn't say any thing to each other but we both knew he missed
his
> chance. We have been trying each Sunday for the last three weeks for one
> last shot before they abandon the Spacestation on Aug 24.
>   
> At 11:38 UTC (7:30am EDT) this morning,Sean, KC2DIJ made an extended
voice
> contact with JP aboard the Mir Spacestation.
> Sean Called "India Juliet, India Juliet, Age 11, Age 11." The astronaut
> responded with "India Juliet, the young woman this is spacestation Mir"
> Sean gave his full call sign and name talked about being in Holmdel NJ
ect.
> The Cosmonaut said "oh, you are a boy" and laughed he also 
> said he had Sean's call sign & repeated it and said he would listen for
him
> on future orbits. I was enroute to a hamfest and was listening to both
sides
> of the conversation at a rest stop with a whole bunch of strangers
listening
> too. Daddy was so proud he had tears in his eyes.
> 
> Today was to be the last opportunity...and he did it! Not only that he
did
> it on his own. He set the orbit tracking computers, enabled (and 
> downloaded) 2 Slow Scan Television pictures from Mir, tuned the doppler
> frequency compensation, as well as continuously keeping the beam 
> antennas pointed in both Azimuth & Elevation as the space station went
over
> head at 17,000 MPH...and had a nice little chat with an astronaut
> 300 miles in space at the same time. 
> 
> Not bad for 11yrs old.
> 
> And Thank You JP and Mir and the people of Russia for taking the time and
> money and energy over many years to show the children of this planet
> all that they can be.
> 
> And as it comes time say goodbye to Mir, I can only hope that those who
will
> run the ISS amateur station will give as much to our children as Russia
did.
> 
> It took our school 2 1/2 years to make a contact. It took over two years
for
> Sean to make his. If Nasa and the ISS ham controllers
> can have the foresight to dedicate a permanent SSTV weekday downlink we
can
> have school children across this planet directly participating
> in this wonderful adventure every 93 minutes not every 2 1/2 years. 
> 
> 
> Al Emer, N2YAC
> 
>  
> 
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