SUCCESSFUL ARISS CONTACT FOR ISTITUTO COMPRENSIVO IN CALONZIOCORTE, ITALY

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 13:33 UTC, i.e. 15:33 local time, students at Istituto Comprensivo di Calolziocorte – Scuola Media, Calolziocorte, Italy established ARISS contact with NASA astronaut Donald R. Pettit KD5MDT onboard the International Space Station. Astronaut Donald R. Pettit operated with the ISS callsign NA1SS. This was a telebridge contact performed by amateur radio station LU8YY, located in Argentina, South-America.

This Comprehensive Institute features three different levels: kindergarten, primary school and secondary school. Secondary School was founded in the 60s. About 600 students are attending the school, totaling 26 classes. Calolziocorte is a small town of about 15.000 citizens not far from Lecco, in the heart of a beautiful area called Val San Martino.

ARISS mentor Francesco De Paolis, IK0WGF proposed to the radio contact coordinator a telebridge contact as backup of a Turkish event already planned for this week. ARISS Turkish school contact was unable to be scheduled due to the Soyuz undocking requirements on Thursday 26 and Friday 27. Mr. Giampietro Ferrario IZ2GOJ, radio contact coordinator, decided in favor of “last-minute” telebridbe contact. Thanks Giampietro.

The space talk took place at Istituto Comprensivo di Calolziocorte, Italy, where an audience of about 200 students, visitors and media participated to the ARISS event. Before the contact, Mr. Giampietro Ferrario IZ2GOJ presented ARISS and the operation of a contact with the ISS via Ham Radio.

At 13:33 UTC, contact with OR4ISS was established by station LU8YY. Using the Kenwood radio in the Service Module, Donald R. Pettit answered 18 questions from the students, exchanged final greetings and closed the contact. During the pass, the signal from the ISS was loud and clear.

Live streaming video was available on:

http://www.livestream.com/AMSAT_Italia

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

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM52YMW91H_Italy_0.html

Congratulations to ARISS Team Lombardia and ARI Erba Team!

Francesco De Paolis, IK0WGF

ARISS mentor

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