International Space Station Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, told middle schoolers in Missouri and elementary schoolers in Japan that he's enjoying his stay in space. McArthur spoke November 16 with youngsters at Hermann Middle School near St Louis, and the following day with students at Takatsuki Education Center in Japan. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program arranged both direct VHF contacts. McArthur told one youngster in Missouri that lost items typically turn up sooner or later.

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/11/23/2/?nc=1

International Space Station Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev will enjoy a day off Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving. The holiday highlights a week in orbit of robotics operations, routine maintenance and early preparations for a shipment of supplies and Christmas gifts.

http://www.amsat.org

The OSCAR satellite status page has had an update and loads much quicker now. http://oscar.dcarr.org/index.php

The next International Space Station's Expedition 12 ARISS school contact will be with students at Central Park Middle School, a NASA Explorer School, Schenectady, New York USA on 23 November 2005. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:13 UTC.

This contact will be telebridged between stations NA1SS and W6SRJ in Santa Rosa, California. It should be audible to anyone in the northwest United States and southern portions of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada listening in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.

The next International Space Station's Expedition 12 ARISS school contact will be with students at the ESA CERN Geneva Science Festival in Geneva, Switzerland on 22 November 2005. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 15:17 UTC.
This contact will be telebridged between stations NA1SS and NN1SS in Greenbelt, MD. It should be audible to anyone in the northeast United States and southern portions of Ontario and Quebec listening in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.

From Amsat Sarex reflector:

All,

I have received information that the Russian EVA that will deploy SuitSat, originally planned for December 8, has been delayed to late January / Early February. As we get more information, we will post it.

Thanks,

Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO
AMSAT V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs
ARISS International Chairman

ISS voice contact today 19/11/2005 at 18:58 UTC
with Bill McArthur, orbit 4017. Thanks to Bill
and good luck to Expedition 12.The ISS was coming
loud and clear here in the VE2 land, and Bill was
calling CQ,so good luck to everyone.
Jean-Pierre (VE2AHD)

By Miles, WF1F (MAREX-MG):
The SuitSat project is onboard the International space station and could be activated in as little as 3 weeks. The current tentative activation date is during the ISS crew space walk on Wednesday December 7, 2005. SuitSat will be a hand launched satellite.

Students in Italy and England spoke via Amateur Radio November 9 with International Space Station Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program arranged the QSOs with the Francesco Negri Comprehensive Institute in Casale Monferrato, Italy, and with Furtherwick Park School on Canvey Island in Essex, England. Speaking via the space station's NA1SS, McArthur shared with the students in Italy how he feels about living in space.

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/11/16/1/?nc=1

Now is the time to begin preparing your amateur radio station to receive signals from SuitSat, the most unusual Amateur Radio satellite ever orbited. SuitSat amateur radio equipment will be installed inside a surplus Russian Orlan spacesuit. It will become an independently orbiting satellite once it is deployed by the crew of the International Space Station during an extravehicular activity, tentatively planned around December 8, 2005.

http://www.amsat.org