In Vol. 22, No. 08, February 21, 2003
The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League report that pupils at an elementary school in Japan have been the first youngsters to speak to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station since the
shuttle Columbia tragedy. The contact took place February 18 between
8N3HES at the Hirano Elementary School and astronaut Don Pettit, KD5MDT,
at the controls of NA1SS. The direct 2-meter contact was arranged by the
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program, which
has been on hold since the shuttle catastrophe.