The six inhabitants of the orbiting International Space Station had a busy day of science and maintenance Monday, as they began a full week of activities together.

Expedition 18 Commander Mike Fincke and Expedition 19 Flight Engineer Michael Barratt inspected hatch seals throughout the U.S. segment of the station.

Expedition 18 Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov and Expedition 19 Commander Gennady Padalka checked out the radio link between the Zvezda module and the two Soyuz spacecraft currently docked to the orbital complex. Padalka also worked with the BIOEMULSION experiment, a Russian effort to develop technology to produce microorganisms safely for bacterial, fermental and medical preparations.

Hello all. I found this on the RSGB website at www.rsgb.org and just thought I would post It here.....

The RSGB are dismayed to learn that a small group of AM enthusiasts based in the West Lothian district of Scotland continue to cause what appears to be deliberate interference to the ISS downlink frequency of 145.800MHz during ISS passes. The RSGB is concerned that despite several years of negotiation with this group and a change of band allocation to move them away from the internationally agreed ISS frequency, they continue to disrupt ISS operation by their selfish disregard of their fellow radio amateurs and the Band Plan. The RSGB intends to bring the matter up formally with Ofcom at a meeting of the RSGB/Ofcom Forum in early April.

Topics in this report:
1. ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO Resigns
2. Upcoming School Contacts
3. New Zealand Contact Successful
4. Canadian School Contact Successful
5. Italian Students Radio ISS
6. ARISS Team Meeting Held
7. General Contacts Made
8. SSTV Images

1. ARISS Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO Resigns
On March 24, Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Chairman Frank Bauer stepped down from all his ARISS responsibilities due to personal and increased work responsibilities. This included all the ARISS International Team, ARISS Operations, AMSAT-NA, and NASA responsibilities for all aspects of the program. Frank is working to ensure a seamless transition to the new leadership team. Gaston Bertels will be taking over as ARISS-I Chair until elections can be held in the Netherlands this June. Will Marchant will be taking over as the AMSAT-NA Vice President for Human Spaceflight and stepping up to fill Frank's role as AMSAT U.S. delegate to the ARISS-I team. Rosalie White will remain as the ARRL U.S. delegate. For the full press release, go to the ARISS Web page under "Latest News." http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm

International Space Station ARISS school contacts have been planned with participants at Miyahara Elementary School, Saitama, Japan, CAMUS, Viry Châtillon, France and Carl Sandburg Elementary - Lake Washington School District, Kirkland, Washington, USA on 02 April. The events are scheduled to begin at approximately 0914 UTC, 1335 UTC and 1935 UTC respectively.

The first contact will be a direct between NA1SS and 8J1KW, the second is also a direct between stations OR4ISS and F8BPA. The third contact will be a telebridge between stations NA1SS and W6SRJ. The contacts should be audible over Japan, Europe and then western North America. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. Audio from the telebridge contact should also be available via the AMSAT conference on EchoLink and via the 9010 Discovery reflector on IRLP. The participants are expected to conduct the first conversation in Japanese and the following two conversations in English.

International Space Station ARISS school contacts have been planned with participants at Kalori Catholic School, Wallaro, Australia and Milwee Middle School, Longwood, Florida on 01 April. The events are scheduled to begin at approximately 0725 UTC and 1755 UTC respectively.

The first contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and WH6PN, the second is also a telebridge between stations OR4ISS and ON4ISS. The contacts should be audible over Hawaii and then Europe. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. Audio from the telebridge contacts should also be available via the AMSAT conference on EchoLink and via the 9010 Discovery reflector on IRLP. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.

Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Michael Barratt of the 19th International Space Station crew launched in their Soyuz TMA-14 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:49 a.m. EDT Thursday to begin a six-month stay in space.

Less than 10 minutes after launch their spacecraft reached orbit. Its antennas and solar arrays were deployed shortly afterward.

With Padalka and Barratt is second-time spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi, flying under contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency. Simonyi previously flew to the station in April 2007 as a spaceflight participant with the Expedition 15 crew.

International Space Station ARISS school contacts have been planned with participants at Science Dream Association (SDA), Kobe-city, Japan and Marcelino Canino Canino Middle School, Dorado, Puerto Rico on 31 March. The events are scheduled to begin at approximately 0956 UTC and 1536 UTC respectively.

The first contact will be a direct between NA1SS and 8N3S, the second is also a direct between stations NA1SS and KP4RF. The contacts should be audible over Japan and then the Caribbean. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.

International Space Station ARISS school contacts have been planned with participants at Parkside Community College, Parkside, Cambridge, UK and The Girl's Middle School, Mountain View, CA on 30 March. The events are scheduled to begin at approximately 1700 UTC and 1822 UTC respectively.

The first contact will be a direct between OR4ISS and GB4FUN, the second is a telebridge between stations NA1SS and K6DUE. The contacts should be audible over Europe and then Eastern N. America. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. Audio from the telebridge contact should also be available via the AMSAT conference on EchoLink and via the 9010 Discovery reflector on IRLP. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.

American billionaire Charles Simonyi is gearing up for his second trip to space as a paying civilian.

Set to launch Thursday at 7:49 a.m. EDT (1149 GMT) on a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Simonyi will become the first two-time space tourist. He is to ride along with the International Space Station (ISS)'s new Expedition 19 crewmembers, NASA astronaut Michael Barratt and Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka.

Simonyi paid about $35 million to the Russian Federal Space Agency, through the U.S. firm Space Adventures, for his 13-day trip to the orbiting laboratory. He plans to conduct scientific experiments, take pictures of Earth and talk to students around the world via HAM Radio. He said he hopes to accomplish even more than he did during his first trip in 2007.

The space shuttle Discovery's crew is expected to complete its mission to the International Space Station with a landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:43 p.m. EDT on Saturday, March 28. The return to Earth will conclude a 13-day flight. Nine of those days were spent docked to the station.

During the STS-119 mission, the shuttle and station crews installed and deployed the final set of solar arrays. The arrays provide the electricity to fully power science experiments and support the station's expanded crew of six in May. The flight also delivered Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, who replaced space station crew member Sandra Magnus. She spent more than four months aboard the station and will return to Earth aboard Discovery.