Submitted by Arthur - N1ORC
It may have been snowing outside, but that did not stop ham radio
delegations from descending on the Washinton D-C area for the Winter 2002
meeting to plan the future of ARISS and manned ham radio on board the
International Space Station. Roy Neal, K6DUE, was there and filed back
this report:.....
THE DELEGATES AND REPRESENTATIVES OF ARISS.AMATEUR RADIO ON THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION... MET AT THE GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER,
NEAR
THE NATION'S CAPITOL.THEY DECIDED THAT 2 THOUSAND AND TWO WAS A GOOD YEAR
FOR THE SPACE STATION. IT GREW RAPIDLY AND IS WORKING WELL. THE SAME
IS
TRUE OF ARISS.

THERE WERE MANY EXCELLENT CONTACTS WITH SCHOOLS ALL OVER THE WORLD,
INCLUDING EUROPE, SOUTH AFRICA AND JAPAN. GROUND STATIONS IN SOUTH
AFRICA,
AUSTRALIA AND HAWAII WORKED VERY WELL IN MAKING THOSE CONTACTS .

PACKET HAS BEEN BROUGHT ON LINE AND SEVERAL THOUSAND VERY
SATISFIED USERS ARE MAKING THE MOST OF IT.

FOUR EXTERNAL ANTENNAS WERE INSTALLED LAST YEAR. A
MONUMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT THAT GAVE ARISS THE CAPABILITY OF
OPERATING ALMOST ANY FREQUENCY FROM 20 METERS UP INTO THE
GIGAHERTZ RANGE.

AMONG ITS PROBLEMS, THE SPACE STATION HAS A CREW OF ONLY
THREE ASTRONAUTS AND COSMONAUTS., INSTEAD OF SEVEN AS
ORIGINALLY PLANNED. THAT SEVERELY LIMITS OPERATING TIME FOR AMATEUR
RADIO. THE ARISS DELEGATES WERE TOLD THAT THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS
HOPE
TO INCREASE CREW SIZE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. HOPEFULLY A LOT MORE AIR TIME
WILL BE AVAILABLE.

HAM RADIO ON THE SPACE STATION PLANS FOR THE NEXT PHASE CALL FOR
EXPANSION
TO 70 CENTIMETER OPERATION AND A SECOND STATION ON THE AIR. THIS WOULD
OPEN THE DOOR TO FULL DUPLEX OPERATION. AT A FUTURE DATE IT MIGHT EVEN
ALLOW STUDENTS TO RECEIVE PICTURES ON 70 CM WHILE TALKING ON 2 METERS!

WORK WILL CONTINUE, TESTING SLOW SCAN TELEVISION AND SPACE
CAM HARDWARE, HOPEFUL OF GETTING BOTH THESE PROJECTS ON THE AIR PERHAPS
BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR.

MANY OTHER EXCITING, ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS WERE
DISCUSSED. THEY WILL BE REPORTED HERE ON NEWSLINE DURING THE COMING
YEAR AS THE ARISS TEAM CONTINUES BUILDING ITS HAM RADIO STATION IN ORBIT.

ROY NEAL, K6DUE, FOR AMATEUR RADIO NEWSLINE