The ANDE satellite (NO-61) is about to deorbit within the next four weeks, possibly as early as Dec 16.
See: http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/ande-ops.html

There is a award certificate available for operations in the last ten days of the life of ANDE.
See: http://www.ande-deorbit.com/award.shtml

Ron H, AH6RH
Honolulu, HI

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) covered Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) in its December issue of QST.

Under "Media Hits" (page 12) is a paragraph about the Macomb Daily and the Detroit Free Press -- two articles talking about the September ARISS contact with Martin Luther King Academy in Mount Clemens, Michigan.

On page 62 is a section about the ARRL/TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) 26th Annual Digital Communications Conference held on September 28-30, in Hartford, Connecticut. A list is given on the presentation topics, including a talk on SuitSat-2.

International Space Station Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani wound up a 7-hour, 16-minute spacewalk to outfit the Harmony node in its new position in front of the U.S laboratory Destiny at 12:26 p.m. EST Tuesday.

They completed scheduled tasks and did three get-ahead jobs in the spacewalk, which began about 50 minutes early.

After leaving the Quest airlock and setting up tools and equipment, Whitson removed, vented and stowed an ammonia jumper, part of a temporary cooling loop. Removing it allowed connection of the hookup of the permanent ammonia cooling loop on a fluid tray on the station's exterior.

A 6-hour, 40-minute spacewalk by International Space Station Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani will begin the external outfitting of the Harmony node in its new position in front of the U.S laboratory Destiny.

The spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 5 a.m. EST Tuesday from the U.S. airlock Quest. Whitson, the lead spacewalker, will wear the suit with the red stripes while Tani will be in the suit with the barber-pole stripes.

After leaving the airlock and setting up tools and equipment, Whitson will remove, vent and stow an ammonia jumper, part of a temporary cooling loop. Removing it allows connection of the hookup of the permanent ammonia cooling loop on a fluid tray on the station's exterior.

The Ontario County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES) planned a few events in honor of local native Pam Melroy's STS-120 mission. Midlakes Intermediate School in Clifton Springs, New York was one of eight schools that participated in a video Web conference with Sandy Magnus, KC5FYE, on October 31 which was viewed by 3447 students and 160 teachers. The conference received television and newspaper coverage.
On November 2, the school held an "Amateur Radio Day" in which nearly 300 students and 25 teachers participated. The day began with an assembly, followed by a number of activities. Local amateur radio operators gave an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) and satellite presentation. They provided an outdoor antenna exercise, demonstrated tracking software and covered wave theory with a signal generator and oscilloscope. There was also an outdoor transmitter hunt, a special event HF station and a "Send you name in Morse Code" exercise. An Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) contact was made through node 5400 in Manchester, England. Media outlets reported on the event. Students and teachers requested information on how to get licensed. The radio club will supply Technician License Manuals to the school's library.

The new Harmony node is now in position to receive the European and Japanese modules to be added to the International Space Station.

Station crew members moved Harmony from its temporary location on the left side of the Unity node to its new home on the front of the U.S. laboratory Destiny Wednesday morning. Disengagement of the first set of bolts holding Harmony to Unity began at 3:58 a.m. EST.

Flight Engineer Dan Tani operated the station's robotic arm. Commander Peggy Whitson operated the common berthing mechanisms, first to free Harmony after Tani had grappled it with the arm, and later to drive bolts firmly securing it to the front of Destiny.

Hello All,

This is the first time that I saw a VIDEO from an astronaut making random QSO's with hams (the video was recorded inside ISS!).

Brasil astronaut Marcos Pontes (PYØAEB) made a QSO with Fabiano (PY5RX) at 03-April-2006 (14:34utc). At 21 April 2006 Marcos Pontes was already back on earth and had a speech (about his ISS mission) in Bauru city (Brasil). Fabiano was invited to come on stage to meet Marcos Pontes personaly in front of a big audiance. Fabiano gave Pontes a DVD with video & audio recordings which was madeby Fabiano and Brasil TV station PARANA.
At 13 November 2007 Fabiano have received a video from - Marcos Pontes which was recorded by US astronaut Bill McArthur in ISS.

[img]http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/197838main_11_12_07_PMA2Move.jpg[/img] Image Above: Against the backdrop of a blue Earth, Canadarm2 moves Pressurized Mating Adapter-2. Image credit: NASA TV International Space Station crew members moved Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 from the front of the U.S. laboratory Destiny to the Harmony node early Monday, clearing the way for Harmony's relocation to its permanent home. Harmony, with PMA-2 on its outboard end, is scheduled to be moved from its temporary position on the Unity node to the front of Destiny on Wednesday. Disengagement of the first set of bolts holding PMA-2 in place began about 4:35 a.m. EST, initiated by Peggy Whitson working in Destiny. Dan Tani, the newly arrived flight engineer of Expedition 16, operated the Canadarm2 during the move.

Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Yuri Malenchenko completed their increment's first spacewalk Friday at 10:49 a.m. EST. Their 6-hour, 55-minute spacewalk began just over an hour early at 3:54 a.m.

The two spent early Friday morning disconnecting and stowing cables, removing a light on one of the station's transport carts and taking a cover off the Harmony node's Common Berthing Mechanism, or CBM. On Monday, the Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 (PMA-2) will be moved from the Destiny lab and attached to Harmony's CBM.

The spacewalkers also removed a base-band signal processor that will later be refurbished and a remote power controller module that will be replaced. They then transferred tools in preparation for upcoming spacewalks.

HOUSTON - In the wake of space shuttle Discovery's delivery of the Harmony connecting module to the International Space Station, the station crew will conduct three spacewalks and robotically move two components this month to prepare for delivery of a European laboratory. All of the spacewalks and major robotics work will be broadcast live on NASA Television.

The shuttle Atlantis is targeted to launch Dec. 6 to deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus science module. Before Columbus can be added to the station, Harmony must be relocated to its permanent location at the front of the complex. The station crew's spacewalks and robotics work this month will complete that task, allowing Atlantis to dock and Columbus to attach to Harmony.