DOUBLE CONTACT FOR ESA ASTRONAUT PAOLO NESPOLI, IZ0JPA WITH “TURIN FLYING INSTITUTE”, ITALY

Saturday, 07 May, 2011 at 12:38 UTC and 14:14 UTC, i.e. 14:38 and 16:14 local time Turin Flying Institute, Caselle Torinese, Italy, established double ARISS contact with Italian astronaut PAOLO NESPOLI, IZ0JPA on board the International Space Station. Astronaut NESPOLI operated with the special Italian callsign IR0ISS that he will use during his mission. The Turin Flying Institute operated the contact with callsign IK1SLD.

The Turin Flying Institute is located at the "Sandro Pertini " airport in Caselle Torinese, near the city of Turin. The Institute is the only one to offer two well-defined job profiles: Air Navigation (airline pilot and fighter pilot) and assistance to air navigation. The ARISS activity is integrated in the school curriculum as "Ampliamento dell'Offerta Formativa" (Formation Offer Widening). The activity covers the widest possible number of subjects, e.g. Electronics, Radio, Astronomical Navigation, etc. This includes reviewing of the basic concept of orbits and spaceflight, together with a study of electromagnetic waves and radio communication procedures.

ARISS mentor Francesco De Paolis, IK0WGF proposed to radio contact coordinator in Turin to set up a direct contact with assistance from the ARISS telebridge station installed at Casale Monferrato Airport, Piemonte, Italy. Mr. Claudio Ariotti IK1SLD, radio contact coordinator for this ARISS event, decided in favour of this set up. The questions were read by the students of the Turin Flying Institute. The contacts took place at the Alpine Citadel in Turin, staged by the Brigade Alpine "Taurinense", at the 84th National Gathering of the Alpine, where an audience of about 150 students, teachers, visitors and media participated to the ARISS event. At the end of the first contact, the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy was celebrated with final greetings from the Brigade "Taurinense" Commandant to Nespoli aboard the International Space Station.

At 12:38 UTC, contact with IR0ISS was established by station IK1SLD. Astronaut Paolo NESPOLI answered 8 questions from Columbus module via Ericsson radio. At 14:14 UTC, contact with IR0ISS was again established by ARISS Telebridge station IK1SLD installed at Casale Monferrato connected per phone line to Alpine Citadel in Turin. Paolo NESPOLI answered 12 more questions from Service module via Kenwood D700 radio. During first pass the signal from ISS was weak. It became loud and clear during the second pass.

Regional and local media and newspapers covered the event.

Streaming video was for both contacts on:

http://www.livestream.com/AMSAT_Italia

ARISS contact was announced by web story on ESA Portal - National News:

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMBYQZ57NG_Italy_0.html

Congratulations to IK1SLD Team!

73

Francesco De Paolis, IK0WGF

ARISS mentor

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audio recording pass 1
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