Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, Follows Dad Owen, W5LFL, Into Space:

Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, a well-known programmer and designer in the video game world, will soon be a household name to those who follow space flights. He's the next private citizen to be flown to the International Space Station (ISS) by the Russian Federal Space Agency (RKA), and is taking ham radio into space just as his dad Owen Garriott, W5LFL -- the first ham to make QSOs from space -- did in 1983.

Richard's fiery ride to space will be on a Russian Soyuz TMA-13, due to be launched on Sunday, October 12; the Soyuz is set to dock with the ISS two days later. According to ARRL Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm Program Manager and ARISS International Secretary-Treasurer Rosalie White, K1STO, Richard is the sixth private citizen to be accepted by the Russian Space Agency for a short-term mission on the ISS. HIs term as an official crew member of the Soyuz TMA-13/17S crew is scheduled to end with the undocking of the Soyuz on October 22 for its journey back to Earth.

Twenty-five years after his father made that first QSO from space, Richard is bent on honoring him by operating ham radio in space. Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, ARISS International Chairman, said, "The ARISS Team is very happy to be able to make Richard's time in space extra special, since his flight coincides almost exactly 25 years from when his father made history."

The first thing Richard did after passing his Technician exam was to start talking to ARISS in earnest. "ARISS coordinates and sponsors everything to do with ham radio in space, and NASA Mission Control will be handling all of the ham radio schedules," White said. In mid-August, ARISS Team Member Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, set up a training session at NASA Johnson Space Center for Richard. Following that, Richard completed his Russian radio training. ARISS Team Member Sergej Samburov, RV3DR, trained Richard on SSTV, packet, the use of the ARISS equipment, and the onboard computers in Star City, Russia at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. The next month, Samburov had Richard learn how to handle radio ops, especially pile-ups.

School QSOs are nothing new for ARISS, so what exciting new thing is Richard planning while he spends his time in space? White said he plans on transmitting a show of downlink video images. "Beforehand, SSTV testing will be conducted between him and the ARISS Team, uplinking high resolution images," she said. "The SSTV downlinks will take place during his official Earth observations duties, allowing students and hams to compare images to ones previously downloaded. He may have the SSTV equipment running at random times for the pleasure of ham radio operators. He will use his call sign -- W5KWQ -- on the downlinked video pictures while operating the RS0ISS and NA1SS equipment, with permission from station trustees Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and Sergej Samburov, RV3DR.

According to ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, Richard plans to take a Kenwood VC-H1 SSTV communicator with him on board the Soyuz for his flight and leave it on the ISS for future ARISS use. "The VC-H1 has completed all hardware certification on the US and Russian sides," Bauer said. "The final test, an EMI radiated emissions test, was performed last week and the test data was delivered to Sergey Samburov, RV3DR, in Russia this week. The VC-H1 provides a very simple interface for ISS crew members and does not require the use of a computer. Computer usage has been a real challenge for ARISS, so the VC-H1 represents a lesson learned to improve ARISS operations."

Richard is the sixth private citizen to be flown by the Russian space agency to the ISS; all other private citizens who have ventured to the ISS before him have also made ARISS QSOs. NASA, the Russian Space Agency, RSC Energia, Space Adventures Ltd and ARISS have developed various agreements to allow space citizens to entice students to science and engineering through ARISS QSOs. For more information about Richard, his space activities and what he hopes to accomplish in space, visit his Web site http://www.richardinspace.com/.

Source:

The ARRL Letter Vol. 27, No. 38 September 26, 2008

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