Successful ARISS contact for children’s hospital in Vatican City

Wednesday July 10 at 12:36 UTC, 14:36 local time, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesu, Rome, State of Vatican City estabilished a direct contact with ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano KF5KDP, onboard the International Space Station. This was a direct contact performed by Amateur radio ground station HV2VO, installed at children’s hospital in Vatican City.

Presentation:

Created in 1869 through a generous initiative of the Salviati family, and donated to the Holy See in 1924, the Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital is now a comprehensive children’s polyclinic. In 1985, it has been formally recognized by the Italian Ministry of Health as Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico IRCCS (Research Hospital), and it is now one of the three Paediatric IRCCS in Italy, and the only one for Central and Southern Regions. The Hospital is a reference point in Italy and abroad and it is connected to the most important paediatric centres in Europe and the United States.

ARISS mentors Francesco De Paolis IK0WGF proposed to the radio contact coordinator to set up a direct contact with assistance from the ARISS telebridge station IK1SLD installed at Casale Monferrato Airport, Piemonte, Italy. Mr. Marcelo Teruel IK0USO, coordinator for this ARISS event decided in favor of this setup. Before the contact participants were trained with presentations about life in space and radio technique by experts from ARI Roma (Associazione Radioamatori Italiani) and AMSAT Italia. Thanks to Mr. Stefano Castriotta IW0CZC for the great job.

Contact was established at 12:36 UTC with IR0ISS, and astronaut Luca Parmitano requested back-up channel due to many calls from earth. On secondary channel astronaut Luca Parmitano answered all 12 questions and listened to greetings from principal of children’s hospital in Vatican City. Signal from the ISS was loud and clear for the entire pass.

Regional and National Televisions and newspapers covered the event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbP1IHcxyj0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZq6iU2EArI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8Ovvwephk4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jicqne9Hbnw

Streaming video counted about 100 connections on

http://www.livestream.com/amsat_italia

Video of the event is here:

https://www.livestream.com/amsat_italia/video?clipId=pla_bfd1acd0-99a3-4e69-86c0-1562e01331da

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

http://www.esa.int/ita/ESA_in_your_country/Italy/Lo_spazio_passa_anche_dall_Ospedale_Pediatrico_Collegamento_con_Luca_Parmitano_mercoledi

Congratulations to IK0USO Team!

73

Francesco - IK0WGF

ARISS mentor