Artist's impression of the Columbus Laboratory attached to the International Space Station. Credits: ESA / D.Ducros

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Columbus fitted with Amateur Radio antennas launches today

Today should see the launch of the Space Shuttle
STS-122 carrying the Columbus module, fitted with two Amateur Radio antennas, to the International Space Station.

The launch is scheduled for at 21:31 GMT December 6th and video of the flight will be carried by NASA-TV. Their 150 kbps video stream is available via the internet.

The Amateur Radio antennas are on the "bottom" of Atlantis so they will not become visible until it has been completely removed from the cargo bay prior to it being connected to the Harmony module of the ISS during the first EVA on flight day 4.

The new antennas will allow Amateur Television (ATV) operation from the Space Station using the 1260-1270 and 2400-2450 MHz Amateur Satellite Service allocations.

Image above: A technician monitors the closure of the payload bay doors on space shuttle Atlantis during launch preparations at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The European-built Columbus laboratory is bolted inside the cargo bay and will be attached to the International Space Station during mission STS-122. Photo credit: NASA/George Shelton

ESA TV will provide re-broadcast of NASA TV for the following key events:

Thursday 6 Dec 2007, 16:25 - 22:00 GMT (Sat coordinates below): Full relay of NASA TV coverage of pre-launch events and launch (scheduled at 21:31 GMT).

Monday 10 Dec 2007: Columbus module 1st ingress (scheduled at 22:06 GMT).

Wednesday 12 Dec 2007: Mission inflight call (scheduled at 14:51 GMT) with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and ESA DG Jean Jacques Dordain (Leopold Eyharts KE5FNO and Hans Schlegel plus mission commanders participating)

Friday 14 Dec 2007: Joint Crew News Conference (scheduled at 16:31 GMT).

Monday 17 Dec 2007: Landing (scheduled at 17:29 GMT).

Also, daily mission highlights will be re-broadcast from NASA (starting Fri 7 Dec at 06:00 GMT).

All NASA TV programming is subject to last-minute changes.

More background information can be found on:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

ESA-TV Satellite coordinates for Weds 5 Dec and Thurs 6 Dec:

Eutelsat Atlantic Bird 1 (AB1) at 12.5degW, Transponder F5, Channel C, F = 12642.75MHz, Pol = horizontal,SR = 6.1113 Ms/s, FEC = 3/4, signal MPEG2 4:2:0 in the clear

For the latest transmission schedule, go to http://television.esa.int.

Thanks to Graham G3VZV for the above information.

Related URL’s

Donations for ARISS antennas on Columbus
http://www.ariss-eu.org/donations.htm

ARISS antennas bound for space
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/december2007/ariss_antennas.htm

Columbus module and the Amateur Radio antennas
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/november2007/
columbus_amateur_radio_antennas.htm

Videos of ISS Columbus Amateur Radio Antennas
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/october2007/columbus_videos.htm

The United Kingdom Amateur Satellite organisation AMSAT-UK publishes a quarterly newsletter full of the latest information on Amateur Satellites.
Join now online at https://secure.amsat.org.uk/subscription/

For further information contact the secretary Jim Heck G3WGM
Tel: +44 (0)1258 453959
Email: g3wgm@amsat.org
Website: http://www.uk.amsat.org/