Students make First Contact with the ISS
NASA Article Edited
"Left:
This is U.S. Astronaut Owen K. Garriott - W5LFL - aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle
Columbia STS-9. He is holding a Motorola two meter FM ham radio walkie talkie."
NASA
"January 30, 2001 -- The days of painting Styrofoam planets are probably numbered at the Luther Burbank School in southwest Chicago after students there received a call from space."
"It wasn't a hail from alien creatures, but the radio transmissions were nonetheless electrifying to students and teachers who, with the aid of a local ham radio operator, made "first contact" with the crew of the International Space Station (ISS). Participants in the long-distance radio chat --the first of its kind between students and the ISS-- say science education at the Illinois school may never be the same."
"The students were able to talk to the astronauts thanks to a program called "Amateur Radio International Space Station," or ARISS for short. ARISS was created in 1996 to design, build and operate radio equipment that connects ISS crewmembers in space with eager students on Earth. ARISS is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) and NASA."
"Hams, who must be licensed by the FCC, number more than 1.5 million worldwide. The first ham "rig" in space flew on board the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1983, under the watch of astronaut-ham Owen K. Garriott. Since then, astronauts with amateur radio licenses have flown on more than 24 shuttle missions."
"Wright, a math and science teacher in southwest Chicago for 31 years, received word in August 2000 that they had been accepted for a December contact with crewmembers aboard the ISS. Bauer, along with a team of AMSAT volunteers, worked closely with the school in preparation for the momentous occasion, essentially importing a full radio station into the school to facilitate direct communication."
"On December 19, the scheduled date for contact, Wright says, "we were a bundle of nerves." Rightly so it turned out. When technical problems rendered their initial communication efforts futile, Wright says she experienced a "role reversal" with the students."
"I plunged down further than the kids…They were telling me 'it was just an experiment' and 'we're pioneers.'"
"The students' optimism prevailed on December 21 when they established a crackly but inspiring radio connection with space station Commander William "Shep" Shepherd. "It was a once in a lifetime opportunity ... something the students will never forget," says Bauer."
"Right:
The arrow indicates an amateur radio antenna on the International Space
Station that astronauts are using to chat with students on Earth." NASA
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