'Space is Beautiful!' Bowersox Tells UK Youngsters via Ham Radio:

Youngsters from Rushey Mead Secondary School in the United Kingdom gathered at the National Space Centre in Leicester April 4 for a quick ham radio chat with Ken Bowersox, KD5JBP. The contact was arranged via the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. Students participating from the comprehensive secondary school ranged in age from 11 to 16. The school also has its own Amateur Radio Club. John Heath, G7HIA, operated the National Space Centre's GB2NSC club station for the occasion.

"Space is beautiful," Bowersox rhapsodized in response to one youngster's question. "It's black with the stars dotting everywhere. It's gorgeous." The Expedition 6 crew commander said the space station occupants don't have TV to watch for entertainment. "We look out the window at the earth," he said. When the crew members tire of that, there are CDs and books aboard.

Bowersox noted that he has wanted to be an astronaut since he was seven years old and trained five years for his current mission. Answering an oft-asked question about how the crew keeps clean in space, Bowersox explained that the astronauts and cosmonauts use towels moistened with soap and water to wash themselves.

In all, 12 youngsters put questions to Bowersox during the direct ARISS contact that ran under five minutes compared to the usual 10 minutes, although the ISS remained in nominal range for the full period. ARISS Vice Chairman Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, speculated that the problem may have been a result of having to arrange the contact on short notice and not having optimal Earth-station antennas in place.

Howard Long, G6LVB, offers audio and video recordings of the event and additional photos on his Web site http://www.g6lvb.com/issmedia.htm.

The crew's next Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school group contact is scheduled for April 14 with Lounsberry Hollow Middle School in New Jersey.

ARISS is an international project with support from ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.--some information from Gaston Bertels, ON4WF

Source:

The ARRL Letter Vol. 22, No. 15 April 11, 2003

There are no comments on this article: Post One