25 Years of Hams in Space

December 2, 2008 | Newington, Connecticut | Vetting explained

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This week marks the 25^th anniversary of Amateur Radio in space. Owen Garriott, Amateur Radio call sign W5LFL, blasted into space aboard Columbia's STS-9 mission on November 25^th and landed on December 8, 1983. During the flight, Garriott made several contacts with Amateur Radio operators (otherwise known as hams) on Earth. Since that time, nearly every shuttle and ISS mission has featured ham radio contacts between astronauts and cosmonauts, nearly all of whom are licensed Amateur Radio operators, and radio operators on the ground. Today, Amateur Radio transmitters and receivers are permanently installed on the ISS. The Station also is outfitted with repeater radios that allow hams to relay voice and text messages to other hams worldwide. Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, Chairman of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), said, "Those first contacts allowed each of us to share the excitement of space exploration through Owen's first-hand eyewitness accounts. Owen's ham radio legacy enabled space travelers that have flown on the space shuttle, the space station +Mir+ and now the International Space Station (ISS) to share their journey of exploration." On October 12, Garriott's son Richard, W5KWQ, also made history when he became the sixth private person to fly to the ISS. Within two hours after his arrival, Richard began making contacts with Amateur Radio operators on the ground, just as his father pioneered 25 years ago. Additionally, Richard began sending Slow Scan Television (SSTV) pictures to hams on Earth. Some of these images can be seen at http://www.amsat.com/ARISS_SSTV/. "What other hobby, except Amateur Radio," Bauer wondered, "could or would open the communications lines of space travelers beyond that of the space agencies or international heads of state?" During December and January, several special events are being planned by the ARISS. According to Bauer, certificates will be available for those who communicate with ISS, either in a direct, two-way contact, or by reception of SSTV or voice downlink. Any person with a scanner can listen to 145.800 MHz to receive transmissions when the ISS is in view. To find out when the ISS is in the vicinity, go to http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/sightings/.

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