SUCCESSFUL ARISS
CONTACT WITH EUROPEAN SCHOOL IN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, BRUSSELS
Tuesday 27 April 2010, 12 students of the European School, Brussels were
invited to visit the Exhibition set up by the International Amateur Radio Union
in collaboration with the European Space Agency in the European Parliament,
Brussels and sponsored by MEP Birgit
Sippel, Germany. The Exhibition's name is "European Amateur Radio
Benefiting Society" and the thematics are Emergency, Education and Space.
The students,
aged 14-18, accompanied by two science teachers, were welcomed by ARISS
Chairman Gaston Bertels, ON4WF who introduced the event with a general
presentation on the orbital and technical aspects of VHF communications between
amateur radio ground stations and the ISS. The students asked many interesting
questions while they observed the projection of the world map showing the ISS
progressing towards
An ARISS
contact was planned at 12.57 UTC. The radio contact was a telebridge, operated
by Adrian Sinclair's ARISS ground station LU1CGB. When
In the
In the
European Parliament, several MEP and assistants, parents working in the
European Commission, as well as representatives of the European Space Agency,
assisted to the event.
The contact
was distributed over EchoLink and IRLP networks by John Spasojevitch, AG9D.
Two hours
later, three space travelers representing three Space Agencies visited the
Exhibition: ISS Commander Frank De Winne ON1DWN ,
Robert Thirsk VA3CSA and Roman Romanenko. Thirty more students from several
schools joined the audience, as well as several MEP and assistants. Among them former cosmonaut
Vladimir Remek, now member of the European Parliament representing the
Speaking for
the European Parliament, MEP Knut Fleckenstein,
Gaston
Bertels, ARISS Chairman addressed the audience in these terms:
Honorable
Members of the European Parliament,
Dear
Astronauts and Cosmonaut,
Dear
students,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It's a memorable day, when three Space travelers visit this Earth bound
vessel, where 785 representatives of 27 nations meet in 20 committees and
debate for the welfare of 500 million citizens.
It's a memorable day when three distinguished members of three Space
Agencies come to visit an Exhibition devoted to the activities of a
volunteering community, engaged in Emergency, Education and Space
communications.
Accordingly to the Radio Regulations of the International
Telecommunications Union, the Amateur service is a radiocommunication service
for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication and technical
investigations carried out by amateurs, that is, by duly authorized persons
interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary
interest and the Amateur Satellite Service is radiocommunication service using
space stations on earth satellites for the same purposes as those of the
amateur service.
Since the dawn of the Space age, as soon as 1961, radioamateurs have
built their own experimental Earth satellites and they continue to do so.
Moreover, on Space station MIR, on the American Space Shuttles and presently on
the International Space Station, amateur radio equipment is operational and
astronauts and cosmonauts, duly licensed radioamateurs, use this equipment
mainly for educational purposes.
In collaboration with the Space Agencies, the ARISS organisation sets up
educational school contacts, allowing students to put questions to the
astronauts and receive their answers, live from Space, via amateur radio. Since
2001, 530
During your recent Expedition, Frank and Bob, you have conducted many
such School Contacts, fostering the interest of students for science,
technology, engineering and maths, the so important STEM studies needed for the
future of humanity. In the
Some students will build their careers on Space Exploration, in line
with the famous sentence "Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one doesn't
stay in the cradle forever". This sentence expresses Konstantin
Tsiolkovski's vision, Tsiolkovski, whose photo is on the wall of the ISS
Service Module, near the ARISS radio.
You have also seen it at Energya, in the office of Tsiolkovski's
grand-grandson, Sergey Samburov, our colleague in charge of the Russian
division of ARISS international.
Dear Frank, Bob and Roman, we would like to offer you a souvenir of your
visit. It's a Commemorative Space Talk Certificate, similar to the Certificates
which were offered by the Royal Belgian Amateur Radio
With all our gratitude for your kind support
Thank you!
Photos and a
sound recording will be appended to this bulletin, archived at
www.ariss-eu.org/archive.htm
The event is
also reported on ESA's website: http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMNN2HMI8G_index_0.html
ARISS is an
international educational outreach program partnering the participating space
agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT
and IARU organizations from participating countries.
ARISS offers
an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by
talking directly with crewmembers onboard the International Space Station.
Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and
crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology and
learning.
73
Gaston Bertels - ON4WF
ARISS
Chairman
Students waiting for the Space Talk"
Student asking first question"
Student asking a question"
Mitch Wolfson, DJØQN looks at tracking screen showing the ISS over the ground station in Buenos Aires"
Frank De Winne addresses the audience. MEP Knut Fleckenstein is standing next to Thilo Kootz DL9KCE"
Frank De Winne answers questions from students
From left to right: Gaston Bertels ON4WF, Graham Shirville G3VZV and Frank De Winne ON1DWN
Robert Thirsk VA3CSA showing the Canadian robotic arm "
Roman Romanenko answering questions from students"
Student presenting the OUFTI-1 Cubesat from the Université de Liège"
mp3 recording
