First WAC Certificate Awarded For ISS Op

During his International Space Station Expedition 9 duty tour, astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, became the first ISS crew member to contact all seven of the world's continents via Amateur Radio. Now he has the International Amateur Radio Union's Worked All Continents (WAC) certificate for his wall.

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Ham Radio Technical Coordinator Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO presented the award to Fincke recently at Johnson Space Center.

Operating NA1SS Fincke worked KC4AAC at Antarctica's Palmer Research Station for his last contact - actually a "bonus continent" not required to earn WAC. During that QSO, Fincke and Chuck Kimball, N0NHJ, compared and contrasted life in their respective outposts.

After returning to Earth in October, Fincke said he's not sure everyone in the NASA community understands and appreciates what Amateur Radio means for the rest of the world.

Fincke said he'd also like to make the first Amateur Radio contact from the moon.

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