SUCCESSFUL ARISS CONTACT AT ZESPOL SZKOL TECHNICZNYCH, MIKOLOW, POLAND

Friday, October 21 2011 at 18.04 UTC, which is 20.04 CEST, The Complex of Secondary Schools (Zespol Szkol Technicznych, ZST), Mikolow, Poland established an ARISS contact with NASA astronaut Michael E. Fossum KF5AQG onboard the International Space Station. Astronaut Michael E. Fossum operated with ISS callsign OR4ISS. This was a direct contact performed by the ground station of amateur radio club SP9PKS.

The Complex of Secondary Schools is located in one of the oldest and most beautiful towns of Upper Silesia, Mikolow. It is the oldest school in this region, founded in 1924, which provides education for four years on a technical level, two or three years on a vocational level, and Further Education School for adults. The education subjects are the following: information technology, electronics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, car mechanics and starting from this year economical-administrative, car mechanics, machining center operators, craftsmen (multi-vocational classes), mechanical engineering with maturity examination. School runs re-qualification courses for production plants and factories employees and courses for the unemployed people. There are about ninety well-qualified teachers and 750 students attend the school.

The Complex of Secondary Schools holds a QUALITY CERTIFICATE ISO 9002 and is equipped with the modern technological equipment gained thanks to the European Union support finances. There are modern training centers: computer use, modern controlling techniques using microprocessor controller units for welding, numerically controlled machines, computer aiding of technological processes. They take part in national and international programs or projects like Leonardo da Vinci and Socrates.

At 20:04 UTC, contact with OR4ISS was established by station SP9PKS located at ZST with NASA astronaut Michael E. Fossum KF5AQG onboard the International Space Station. Using the amateur station aboard the ISS Service Module, the astronaut answered 19 questions prepared by students. During the pass, the signal from ISS was loud and clear and readable over most of Europe.

The conversation was conducted in English. The questions were read by the students at ZST where an audience of about 65 students, teachers, parents, visitors and media participated to the ARISS event. Tadeusz SP9HQJ represented PZK, the Polish Amateur Radio Union.

Two newspapers and four broadcast radio stations covered the ARISS event: Dziennik Zachodni and Wiadomoci Powiatowe newspapers, Radio Zet, Radio Zote Przeboje, Tok FM, Antyradio, and local station Radio Fest.

Live Streaming video was available on: http://pl.justin.tv/sp9amh

This was the seventh ARISS school contact in Poland and the sixth direct contact by Polish HAMs.

Direct link to the audio from the contact:

http://wiadomosci.radiozet.pl/var/ezflow_site/storage/original/audio/e5eb3b20aab81e2a83121b27841678f2.flv

Official link to the audio from the contact on the RadioZET:

http://wiadomosci.radiozet.pl/Nauka/Wiadomosci/Uczniowie-polaczyli-sie-z-kosmosem/

News in RadioZet at 2:00 a.m. local time:

http://www.sp9pks.pl/zet2.mp3

Photos:

http://www.dziennikzachodni.pl/stronaglowna/464592,mikolow-uczniowie-polaczyli-sie-z-miedzynarodowa-stacja,id,t.html

Information about this event (Polish):

http://www.arisspolska.info/?category_name=mikolow

Congratulations to ZST in Mikolow Team and to SP9PKS!

73,

Armand Budzianowski, SP3QFE,

ARISS mentor