Astronaut Amateurs preparing for International Space Station

The recent licensing of US Astronaut John Phillips, KE5DRY, will put two radio amateurs aboard the International Space Station (ISS) this spring.

Heading the Expedition 11 crew will be space veteran and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, who will be doing his second tour of duty aboard the ISS.

Phillips' licensing eliminates complications for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school group contacts. The FCC granted Phillips' new Technician ticket February 2. Phillips and Krikalev begin their six-month stay aboard the ISS in April.

Krikalev served as flight engineer on the Expedition 1 ISS crew. Phillips, also a seasoned space traveler, will serve as flight engineer and as NASA ISS science officer during Expedition 11.

Phillips flew to the ISS on the STS-100 shuttle mission in 2001, when the crew installed the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Krikalev, who also served duty tours aboard the Russian Mir space station in the late 1980s and early 1990s, has accumulated 625 days in space.

By the time his Expedition 11 stay is over, he'll have spent more time in space than any other human.

Source: Radio Amateurs of Canada

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