A good friend of mine contacted the space station on July 12th. His call is W0IU. Since he is unable to connect to the internet I figured that I would surprise him with a recording of his first ISS contact. So if anyone has a recording with his call I would very much appreciate you sending it to my e-mail.

OpTaylor_56001@yahoo.com

The number of languages used on the International Space Station has recently increased. In addition to those spoken in the 15 countries that have had representatives aboard the space station, American Sign Language, or ASL, is now included. NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson has sent a message in ASL from the station to the deaf community.

In the video, Caldwell Dyson answered several questions about living and working aboard the station and how she became interested in sign language.

"I am truly grateful for this opportunity on behalf of the deaf community and the multitudes of students who will benefit from seeing their language spoken in space," Caldwell Dyson said. "It is my hope that this video will help inspire our next generation of scientists and explorers."