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www.southgatearc.org
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Radio amateurs impress NASAOn Thursday, October 26, NASA Johnson Space Center asked that the ARISS Ops Team enable its ISS Ham Contingency Network and go into standby mode as a resource for NASA. ARISS volunteers immediately swung into action. Russian Flight Controllers were experiencing difficulties completing the docking of a Russian Progress cargo vehicle. Its antenna would not retract properly as it neared the ISS. It is a requirement for the antenna to be retracted before the last step of the physical docking is executed to avoid a collision between the antenna and the docking port. The ISS was put into a free-drifting mode, which aids the crew with docking maneuvers. Free-drifting results in the ISS solar arrays not being pointed directly toward the sun. This causes decreased power generation for the ISS, and the crew is required to slow down or shut down some ISS systems to conserve power. During free-drift mode, a loss of TDRSS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System) coverage can occur; TDRSS is the system that handles communications between astronauts and Mission Control (MCC) in Houston. The ARISS Team was asked to ready its ISS Ham Contingency Network so that MCC could feel secure in having solid communication coverage while their staff took care of the docking issue. The docking problem was solved, and the ARISS contingency network wasn't used by NASA for actual communications. NASA's request and the ensuing ham activity served as a great drill for the ARISS Team. MCC (Houston) was impressed with how quickly the ARISS Team had its system up and running. The MCC staff's concern about the possible TDRSS problem was lessened, knowing of the hams' ability to act as a back-up resource in the case that it is ever needed. Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, generated a procedure for the ISS crew on the operations of the ARISS contingency network. The fact that the ARISS Team was asked to be on standby was known by anyone listening to the NASA communications channel. MCC Houston transmitted a message to the crew that information would be uplinked about the ham network and the procedure for it if they needed to invoke it. It was the first time in the six-year history of ARISS that NASA had asked the hams to bring up the contingency network. Within 15 minutes of receiving the call from NASA, ARISS Ops Team member Kenneth Ransom, N5VHO, reported the ARISS Ops Team ready to communicate. ARISS Team member Tony Hutchinson, VK5ZAI, of Australia, was wakened at 2 AM, and got on-line to make a blind call up to the crew, although they did not need to answer at that point. Within the 3.5 hours from the time the initial phone call came, until the team got word to shut down, Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, was as his mike, and these additional stations were on standby to cover later passes: Gerald Klatzko, ZS6BTD, in South Africa; Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, at the Belgian ON4ISS station; Dick Flagg, AH6NM, and Nancy Rochelau, WH6PN, at Sacred Hearts Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii; and Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, and Mark Steiner, K3MS, at the Goddard Space Flight Center ham station, WA3NAN. The ARISS teamwork was very effective; its members learned a great deal,
and they impressed NASA with how quickly the system was brought up.
Rosalie, K1STO
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