Ariss delegates urged to cast an eye on future of ham radio in space

The two dozen delegates to the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) International Meeting August 1-2 voted unanimously to study ARISS' involvement in future space exploration.

ARISS will establish a committee to develop a strategy and present proposals to the ARISS International Team within the next six months.

"We must begin to think seriously about making solid plans for ARISS, or we will not be ready when it's time to move ahead," ARISS International Chairman Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, told the gathering at the University of Surrey
in Guildford, England. NASA already has plans for missions to the moon, Mars and beyond on the drawing board. The new committee will provide updates at ARISS International monthly teleconferences.

Delegates from the five ARISS regions - Japan, Canada, Europe, Russia and the US - convened on the heels of the AMSAT-UK Symposium. At the Symposium, ARISS-Europe team members hosted a session that updated those attending on the ARISS program.

Looking toward the deployment of the European Space Agency's Columbus ISS module, ARISS delegates named a committee to develop a strategy and proposals for Amateur Radio systems on the new module. Columbus already is
being made Amateur Radio-ready. ARISS delegates also okayed establishing a project team to make education-related decisions for the Columbus amateur gear.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is presently building Columbus , a Space laboratory, which will be attached to the ISS in the near future

ARISS-Europe's Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, provided an extensive progress report on Columbus module radio systems, including feedthroughs, cables and patch antennas.

The patch antennas, the first designed to conform to the shape of a space module, will be Earth-facing and located near the port cone. Amateur Radio contractors are currently fabricating the antennas, which will provide receive-only coverage on L band (1260-1270 MHz) and transmit and receive capability on S band (2400-2450 MHz) at a maximum power output of 10 watts.

The ARISS Team is on a tight deadline - approximately a year - to design and develop an Amateur Radio system for Columbus, then test, certify and manifest it with the various space agencies. Another Amateur Radio-related task that remains is to install the cables. This is scheduled to happen next February. Delegates heard a presentation on a digital Amateur Radio Television (DATV) system being considered for development and deployment aboard Columbus, set for launch in the spring of 2007.

ARISS delegates also gave the go-ahead for the ARISS Public Relations Committee and ARISS International delegates to publicize the Russian Shadow Experiment.
The test would involve the impact on radio communication of electric thrusters (ET) that employ highly ionized plumes to propel a vehicle in space. Testing is scheduled for the November 2005 through January 2006 time frame. The main issue is electromagnetic compatibility between the ET exhaust plumes and onboard communication equipment, since the plasma plumes may scatter RF and produce a communication dead zone or "shadow."

Bauer, Lou McFadin, W5DID, and ARISS-Russia's Sergei Samburov, RV3DR, updated the group on SuitSat. If all goes according to plan, an ISS crew will orbit a surplus Russian Orlan spacesuit equipped with Amateur Radio gear, a DVD of school artwork and other experiments - this fall during a
spacewalk. SuitSat will fly to the ISS aboard a Progress supply rocket.

ARISS-US delivered to ARISS-Russia a supply of ARISS logo patches to place on SuitSat hardware containers during their flight to the ISS. Bauer's daughter Michelle has provided the voice for the SuitSat station identification: "This is SuitSat 1 - Amateur Radio station RS0RS."

ARISS International Secretary-Treasurer Rosalie White, K1STO, reminded delegates that NASA's new administrator is a radio amateur, Mike Griffin, NR3A. She suggested that ARISS meet with Griffin to get him up to speed on the ARISS program.

"It should be expected that most people in NASA leadership positions will change as the new administrator gets settled in his job," she said, "and this will require the US Team to teach many new NASA people about ARISS."

A list of over 100 Astronauts who are also Radio Amateurs can be seen at: http://www.patmedia.net/gjurrens/astrohams.html

Links:
ARISS Europe: http://www.ariss-eu.org/
Columbus Module: http://www.ariss-eu.org/columbus.htm
ARISS: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/

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