Successful ARISS ham radio contact in Gdansk, Poland

Monday January 2, 2012 at 14:04 UTC, which is 15:04 CEWT, Historical Museum of Gdansk in Poland, Poland established an ARISS contact with NASA astronaut Daniel C. Burbank KC5ZSX aboard the International Space Station. Astronaut Daniel C. Burbank operated with ISS callsign OR4ISS. This was a direct contact performed by Amateur radio club station SP2ZIE, located in the museum.

The Gdansk Historical Museum was founded in 1970 as the Museum of History of the City of Gdansk. At the beginning, Museum was limited to the sixteenth century Main Town Hall. Presently it includes several famous monuments of the Gdansk's architecture.

This year the Museum actively supports the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the birth of one of the greatest personalities in the history of Gdansk - the astronomer Johannes Hevelius. His passion greatly contributed to advancements in our knowledge of stellar objects travelling across the night sky. Therefore, the Museum organized several exhibitions, presenting Hevelius' achievements and research instruments. Performing an ARISS contact with one of the crew members of the International Space Station perfectly fits in the anniversary celebrations.

At 14:04 UTC, contact with OR4ISS was established by station SP2ZIE with ground operator Andrzej Marsz (SQ2DK). The operator presented the event to NASA astronaut Daniel C. Burbank. Using the amateur station aboard the ISS Service Module, the astronaut answered 9 of 20 questions prepared by students from Museum in Gdansk. The conversation with NASA astronaut Daniel C. Burbank KC5ZSX was conducted in English. Audio was excellent and the signal from ISS was loud and clear over all Poland and most of Europe.

This was the second ARISS contact performed by SP2ZIE amateur radio club "Szkuner" from Gdynia.

The event was covered by the Polish Press Agency (PAP) and three national and one local TV stations: Polsat, TVP, TVN 24 and TTM, as well as by one national and two local radio stations: RMF-FM, Radio Gdansk and Super Stacja.

Over 200 people watched live streaming video on the Internet:
http://www.livestream.com/arisspolska (http://live.arisspolska.info)

Congratulations to the Historical Museum of Gdansk in Poland and to the SP2ZIE TEAM!

73,

Armand Budzianowski, SP3QFE
ARISS mentor

Links to the media:

http://tvp.info/wiadomosci/wideo/31122011-1930/5863287

http://www.telewizjattm.pl/serwis-informacyjny/2012-01-02/06/
kosmonauci-polaczyli-sie-z-gdanskiem.html?play=on

PAP Science in Poland
http://naukawpolsce.pap.pl/palio/html.run?_Instance=cms_
naukapl.pap.pl&_PageID=1&s=szablon.depesza&dz=stronaGlowna&dep
=387033&ta=&lang=PL&_CheckSum=-1989827531

TVP Gdansk- Panorama Gdanska
http://www.tvp.pl/gdansk/aktualnosci/spoleczne/rok-heweliusza-na-finiszu/6048063

http://www.tvp.pl/gdansk/aktualnosci/spoleczne/w-sylwestra-porozmawiaja-z-astronautami/6057440

Polskie Radio Gdansk
http://www.radiogdansk.pl/index.php/wiadomosci-wydarzenia-sport/
wydarzenia-rg/23703-pocz-si-z-midzynarodow-stacj-kosmiczn.html

http://www.radio.gdansk.pl/index.php/wiadomosci-wydarzenia-sport/
wydarzenia-rg/23936-modzie-poczya-si-z-kosmosem.html