National Aeronautics and Space Administration Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) National Aeronautics and Space Administration Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) ARISS provides students with the unique oppor­ For the Classroom Get Your Own Amateur Radio tunity to talk by amateur radio with crewmembers Any educator can access lesson plans developed License and Call Sign on the International Space Station (ISS) while by NASA for ARISS at http://spacelink.nasa.gov/ Anyone can be a ham! Contact ARRL to find a they orbit Earth. With the help of amateur radio products/Amateur.Radio.in.Space. In addition to local amateur radio club. Ask a club member to operators on the ground, students can contact enjoying communications that reach into space, visit your classroom to bring and demonstrate an the crewmembers by voice and packet (computer) amateur radio operators provide communications amateur radio. For free information on getting radio, and in the future, they will be able to com­ in times of emergencies and advance the art of started in amateur radio, write ARRL at the municate by amateur television. Crewmembers radio technology. For additional student projects, following address: make ham radio contacts with students around teachers can ask their class to research the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) the world, sparking their interest in space, science, Amateur Radio Service (see http://www.arrl.org Field & Educational Services Department (F&ES) and technology. The crewmembers also contact and http://www.amsat.org), describing some of 225 Main Street their family and friends, as well as individual ham the activities that ham operators can do on the Newington, CT 06111-1494 radio operators. When students make radio con­ air once they earn a license. Students can create E-mail: [email protected] tact with the crewmembers, they may ask ques­ a chart of the electromagnetic spectrum covering Phone: 860-594-0200 Fax: 860-594-0259 tions about the experiments being conducted on 100 kilohertz (kHz) to 1,000 megahertz (MHz), Internet: http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html the mission and what it is like living in space. labeling the HF, VHF, and UHF portions of the Classes track the ISS’s orbit using computer soft­ spectrum on the diagram. They can locate on About the Images on the Front ware and “eavesdrop” on ISS communications. their chart at least eight radio services, such as Top left: ISS Expedition Three Commander Frank When crewmembers are asleep, an automated their favorite AM and FM commercial broadcast Culbertson displays a card highlighting the amateur radio station aboard the ISS is programmed stations, CB, television, amateur radio, and police. International Space Station’s amateur radio call to make contact with hams around the world. Many teachers and students own and can sign—NA1SS. Top right: NASA Mission Interested educators can easily introduce ARISS bring in shortwave radios to compare types of Specialist and ISS Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson into their schools by developing some ideas for radio services in the U.S. and around the world. is seen working with the ARISS antennas now integrating technology into their classrooms. They Teams can tune the dials to log the kinds of com­ being used to communicate with students. can also contact the American Radio Relay League munications heard, the radio frequency of the Center: The center photo shows the International (ARRL) for a list of local radio clubs willing to help stations, how the stations identify, the time of Space Station. Amateur radio has been a regular by setting up radio equipment. Club members day, and the strength of the same station in the payload on the ISS since 2000. Bottom left: A may also agree to assist the school in submitting morning versus the afternoon. Students can student at Lamar Elementary School in Greenville, an ARISS application to ARRL for a scheduled delve into the world of amateur radio satellites TX, proudly talks to an astronaut in space. Teachers radio contact with ISS crewmembers. by browsing the AMSAT Web page: report that ARISS is a once-in-a-lifetime experi­ ARISS is an international project with U.S. http://www.amsat.org. ence for students and is highly educational and participation from NASA, the American Radio Submit an application to ARRL for your school to rewarding. Bottom right: Students from the Relay League (ARRL), and the Radio Amateur be selected to make a radio contact with the astro­ Western Albemarle High School in Crozet, VA, Satellite Corporation (AMSAT). nauts on the ISS. Teachers can find the application excitedly ask questions of the ISS crew as their at http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/ariss-ap.html, and teacher looks on. students can explore further at http://www.rac.ca/ariss http://www.arrl.org/ARISS. LG–2003–10–556–HQ .