4th Polish
Conference of Contributors and Fans of the ARISS Educational Program
Since years, schools and educational institutions enjoy conversations
with astronauts in space thanks to Amateur Radio. In 2011, several amateur
radio clubs and schools in Poland were in the queue for a radio contact with an
astronaut. An idea developed - to set up a meeting and to exchange experience with
participants from all over Poland. The
first Conference took place in October 2011. It is now part of the World Space
Week (WSW).
The 4th of October 2014, the 4th Polish Conference of
Contributors and Fans of the ARISS Educational Program, gathered 61
participants. Interested newcomers met with experienced persons in the field of
ARISS contacts and learned about space, the International Space Station (ISS) and
HAM radio contacts between children and crew members aboard the ISS. This year,
the main subject of the WSW was – “Space:
Guiding your Way”. A student - Błażej
Busza - presented Satellite Navigation
Systems and proper ways to plan and
prepare a successful ARISS contact with an astronaut in space were discussed in
detail by other speakers.
ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) offers an
opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by
talking directly with crew members on board the International Space Station.
Teachers, parents and communities can see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and
crew members on the ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science,
technology and learning. ARISS is an international educational outreach program
partnering the space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and CSA, with the
AMSAT and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) organizations from
participating countries.
The Conference was made possible thanks to international cooperation and
the ARISS organization, together with the collaboration of the Polish Amateur
Radio Union (PZK), the "ZAP - Edukacja" School Association, the SP3POW
HAM radio club, and the "Delta" Amateur Radio Association. Teachers
and other participants got information on how to prepare a contact with an
astronaut and to collaborate with local amateur radio clubs and with the ARISS organization.
The EarthKAM gallery, made by students of the Complex of Schools no. 1 in
Koło, was available for participants of the Conference, and also for the
public. Moreover, there was a lot of information for teachers about educational
programs, covering astronomy and STEM subjects: Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics. Several HAM radio topics were included: microwave
techniques, HD amateur digital TV, amateur radio communications and APRS – Automatic
Packet Reporting System – an amateur real time network information system.
Finally, all fifteen ARISS contacts performed from Poland were reviewed,
during which the Polish schools and educational organizations talked with astronauts
from NASA, ESA or JAXA: E. Michael Fincke KE5AIT, Frank De Winne ON1DWN, Soichi
Noguchi KD5TVP, Catherine G. Coleman KC5ZTH (twice), Ronald J. Garan KF5GPO,
Michael E. Fossum KF5AQG, Daniel C. Burbank KC5ZSX (twice), Donald R. Pettit
KD5MDT, Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI, Luca Parmitano KF5KDP, Koichi Wakata KC5ZTA (twice)
and Michael S. Hopkins KF5LJG.
More about ARISS: www.ariss.org and http://www.ariss-eu.org
The Photo gallery from the event is available here:
http://ariss.pzk.org.pl/SP/conference/04/galerie/MP
Conference page: http://ariss.pzk.org.pl/SP/conference/04/
World Space Week: http://www.worldspaceweek.org
Report presented by:
Armand Budzianowski SP3QFE
Piotr Skrzypczak SP2JMR
Sławomir Szymanowski SQ3OOK
Paweł Zakrzewski SP7TEV