NASA says astronaut and astronomer John Grunsfeld, KC5ZTF, will be a mission specialist on the space agency's final mission to extend and improve the Hubble Space Telescope's capabilities through 2013. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin announced plans for the fifth servicing mission to Hubble October 31. NASA had said previously that it would make no further Hubble missions.

When Russian flight controllers encountered difficulties during a recent International Space Station cargo rocket docking, NASA called on a special -- although little-known -- Amateur Radio team to stand by if needed. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Ops Team "ISS Ham Contingency Network" volunteers around the world immediately swung into action. Within 15 minutes of receiving the call from Johnson Space Center, Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, reported the ISS Ham Contingency Network was ready to provide any necessary communication support.

Complete story at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2006/10/31/100/?nc=1

Astronauts currently working on the International Space Station will have their six-month mission extended by another month to avoid early spring flooding on the Kazakh steppe, where they are due to land, a Russian space official said last Wednesday.

According to a revised schedule, U.S. astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin of the Expedition 14 crew, who began working on the world's sole orbital station September 20, will return to Earth in April instead of March.

Source: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/archive/sarex/48hour/msg00062.html

Here's a copy of the handout I have been using when talking to groups about working amateur satellites with handheld radios.

Enjoy!

Link: http://homepage.mac.com/clintbradford/FileSharing1.html

Clint Bradford, K6LCS

Is it just my bad luck or has it been a while sence I have heard a signal fron ISS? WA9WEB