 Students'
space questions via ham radio show strong science slant
A group of Texas high school students emphasized science in posing their
questions via ham radio to International Space Station Expedition 10 Commander
Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW.
The March 8 contact between Rains High School in Emory and NA1SS was
arranged by the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)
program.
One student quizzed Chiao on how he adjusted to Newton's Third Law of
Motion aboard the space station.
"Well, yes, Newton's Third Law definitely comes into play in space,
and it becomes very obvious that if you push on something, you're going
to react in the opposite direction," Chiao observed. "That's
something you get used to very quickly, and you quickly learn that all
you need is a fingertip to push yourself to the other side of the module."
Students also raised the subject of exposure to radiation in space. Chiao
noted that the crew has both active and passive devices available to determine
their radiation exposure.
"Radiation is very important to monitor in space, because we're
getting exposed to it obviously," Chiao explained.
"We have instruments on board that record the radiation history that
we're receiving on the station. We also wear personal dosimeters that
are analyzed after we get back down to the ground--they also measure the
exposure we've received." The crew also relies on satellite data,
he added.
Responding to another question, Chiao conceded that radiation exposure
could be a limiting factor for long-duration human space ventures.
In reply to another physics-related query, Chiao told one student that
a Hot Wheels car could run indefinitely on a track aboard the space station
were it not for friction, which eventually would slow it down and stop
it. A fish could not swim for long in a blob of water floating in microgravity,
Chiao explained fielding another question, because its motion likely would
soon break up the globule, leaving the fish literally high and dry.
Handling Earth-station duties for the contact was Nancy Rocheleau, WH6PN,
at Sacred Hearts Academy in Honolulu. MCI donated a teleconference circuit
to provide two-way audio between Texas and Hawaii. Mentoring the contact
was
Howard Ziserman, WA3GOV.
Marring portions of the Rains contact were deep signal fades and apparent
Doppler shift. ISS Ham Radio Project Engineer Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, at
Johnson Space Center reports that subsequent discussions with an attitude
control specialist revealed that the ISS was in a free-drift mode that
resulted in some signal blockage for the single ARISS Phase 2 station
antenna.
"As fate would have it, the Amateur Radio antenna was not in the
optimum position as the ISS passed over Hawaii but instead was pointing
spaceward," Ransom explained."
Fifteen Rains High School students, under the direction of science teacher
Deena Harper, participated in the ARISS event, which attracted some media
coverage.
ARISS is an international
educational outreach program with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and
NASA.
Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The
American Radio Relay League
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