Expedition 11's first school QSO has Aussie youngsters 'over the moon'

NASA International Space Station Science Officer John Phillips, KE5DRY, deftly fielded questions via Amateur Radio from youngsters in Queensland, Australia, May 4.

The contact with Albany Hills State School near Brisbane
marked the first Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school group QSO for Expedition 11 as well as the first from NA1SS for Phillips, who was licensed only last February while training for the mission. Phillips came back on the first call from NN1SS in Maryland, which handled Earth-station duties. MCI donated a teleconferencing link between the US and Australia.

Responding to one question, Phillips said he has no problems sleeping aboard the ISS - at least in terms of comfort. But one unusual space occurrence does sometimes wake him up.

"We have an interesting phenomenon that happens where energetic atomic particles can enter the back side of our eyes and cause bright flashes," Phillips explained. "And once in a while - maybe once per night or less - those flashes will wake me up."

In greeting the students at the start of the contact, Phillips noted that Expedition 11 Commander and seasoned space veteran Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, was nearby to help out if needed. Phillips and Krikalev relieved Astronaut Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, and Cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov on the ISS in April. They'll remain aboard the space station until October. By that time, Krikalev - an avid radio amateur - will have logged more time in space than any other human.

Like other ISS crew members, Phillips said he thoroughly enjoys gazing down on Earth during his free time. He also said he's been exercising a little more than an hour a day. One thing he misses, he told the Australian youngsters, is really cold things like ice cream or cold drinks, because the
ISS lacks a refrigerator.

Phillips noted that while the ISS does get hit by micrometeorites, they don't do any serious damage.

"These are really tiny pieces of dust or rock in space that are smaller than a grain of sand," Phillips explained. "What they can do is cause minor pitting or minor blemishes on the metal or the glass, but the space station has never been hit by anything big enough to penetrate the hull or to cause a leak, and, in fact, we're very well protected up here." He noted that the ISS is equipped with shields on all sides.

Albany Hills has an enrollment of 950 students in years two through seven, and astronomy is a part of the school's science curriculum. In all, the Albany Hills pupils got answers to 15 questions before turning the microphone over to teacher Cheryl Capra, who asked if Phillips had any advice to pass along to her students. Unfortunately, the ISS went out of range of the Earth station about the time the astronaut started to reply, but that didn't deter the students and onlookers from closing out the event with a hearty round of cheering and applause.

"Everyone here is all smiles and over the moon," said Mark Phillips, VK4AW - no relation to the astronaut - who assisted at the school. He was joined via the teleconference by veteran Australian ARISS mentor Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI.

Handling Earth station duties at NN1SS was Dave Taylor,
W8AAS. Audio from the contact also was relayed around the world via IRLP and EchoLink.

ARISS is an international educational outreach with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.

Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The American Radio Relay League

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