The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International team met for the monthly teleconference on March 16. Two highlights of the meeting include the planned installation of VHF and UHF FM amateur radio equipment and possible digital amateur television from the Columbus module at the International Space Station.

The installation of the Ericsson radio used by ARISS in the Columbus module is scheduled to be done by astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT on the STS-134 shuttle flight planned for late July 2010. ESA hopes to have a special contact to commemorate the first operation of amateur radio in the Columbus Module.

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 07:21:27 AM CDT

During a postlaunch news conference at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the 6:21 a.m. EDT liftoff of space shuttle Discovery was hailed as a great success.

Calling the launch, "a great start to a great mission," Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations, said the successful liftoff was a tribute to the team at Kennedy that got the vehicle ready to fly.

Mike Moses, chair of the Mission Management Team, said it was, "a spectacular launch and picture-perfect countdown." He outlined a few minor technical issues that were recorded, but that the spacecraft and crew were ready to start an action-packed mission.

Topics in this report:
1. Upcoming School Contact
2. Astronaut Soichi Noguchi Chats with Texas Students via ARISS Contact
3. HAMEX 2010 ARISS Exhibit

1. Upcoming School Contact
An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled with Scuola Primaria De Gasperi in Noicattaro, Bari, Italy on Tuesday, April 6 at 10:47 UTC. This is a public primary school with an enrollment of 700 students, ages 6 - 11. To prepare for the contact, students have studied the principles of radio communications and space missions.

2. Astronaut Soichi Noguchi Chats with Texas Students via ARISS Contact