Space Bulletins
ARLS009 Astronaut Fits in Same-Day Chats with Students on Both
Sides of Atlantic
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Space Bulletin 009 ARLS009
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT March 13, 2003
To all radio amateurs
SB SPACE ARL ARLS009
ARLS009 Astronaut Fits in Same-Day Chats with Students on Both Sides of Atlantic.
It was an Amateur Radio two-for-one special March 7 when International Space Station Science Officer Don Pettit, KD5MDT, spoke with students at technology-oriented schools in Italy and in Texas.
The contacts with NA1SS on board the ISS were arranged as part of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. Questions from students at the Istituto Tecnico Industriale Malignani (IV3FLG) in Cervignano-del-Friuli, northern Italy, covered many topics, such as use of radio frequencies on the station and traveling in space in a 10-minute QSO, said ARISS Mentor Peter Kofler, IN3GHZ.
The technical team of a local amateur radio club set up a satellite station and implemented two amateur television links on the 23-cm band with two other schools in the area to increase the audience from 100 students to a total of about 600.
That same morning, kids in Texas also were able to quiz Pettit via Amateur Radio. At Krueger Middle School of Applied Technologies in San Antonio, 10 students asked two questions each of Pettit via the school's club station, KD5OMG.
"It couldn't have gone better!" exclaimed Coordinating Teacher James Goslin, KJ5QB.
Pettit fielded questions about living in space, solar energy and plant biology experiments.
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ARLS008 New Mexico Hams Help with Columbia Debris Search
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Space Bulletin 008 ARLS008
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT February 26, 2003
To all radio amateurs
SB SPACE ARL ARLS008
ARLS008 New Mexico Hams Help with Columbia Debris Search
Amateur Radio continued its involvement with efforts to locate space shuttle Columbia debris, as NASA's search shifted focus last week to include points west of Texas. According to NASA, the search for
parts is running along the shuttle's re-entry path, basically 60 miles north or south of a line from San Francisco, California, to Lafayette, Louisiana.
New Mexico amateurs helped with efforts in the Albuquerque area last weekend. Members of the New Mexico Search and Rescue Support Team were involved with follow-up efforts in Embudito Canyon, in the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque.
Authorities asked the NM SAR Support Team to provide communication and incident base support February 15 for a massive search involving more than 150 searchers. Although several small objects were found in the rugged terrain, none were attributed to the Columbia.
NASA has asked for help in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah in locating any material that may have fallen from Columbia as it was re-entering Earth's atmosphere. "Everyone is asked to be on the
lookout for possible shuttle material 60 miles north or south of the re-entry track," NASA said.
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ARLS007 Columbia recovery effort over for Texas hams
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Space Bulletin 007 ARLS007
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT February 14, 2003
To all radio amateurs
SB SPACE ARL ARLS007
ARLS007 Columbia recovery effort over for Texas hams
Ham radio support for the shuttle Columbia debris search and recovery effort in Nacogdoches and San Augustine counties in Texas wrapped up February 12. US Forest Service personnel were scheduled
to assume the support role hams had filled in East Texas for nearly two weeks.
South Texas Section Emergency Coordinator Bob Ehrhardt, W5ZX, praised amateurs for their professionalism and dedication. Ehrhardt said the weather often was rainy and cold with some sleet--and the brambles and briars in the forest did not help. Ehrhardt said the agencies the hams worked with were pleasantly surprised, and pleased, too. As he put it: ''I know that we changed several minds that we could get the job done.''
Hams spent about 12 days in the Columbia search-and-recovery effort, using GPS and off-the-shelf computer mapping software to pin down and report the locations of debris items as they were sighted.
Preliminary numbers reported this week indicated that 198 amateurs logged in at one time or another in Nacogdoches County and 148 in San Augustine County. An estimated 80 percent of the participating
amateurs were from outside the two counties.
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