[cr-india] Youngsters in India, Portugal Speak with ISS via Amateur Radio

[sakthi vel]

For the first time in the history of the Amateur Radio
on the International Space Station (ARISS) program,
youngsters in India and Portugal got the chance to
learn about life in space firsthand via ham radio. At
the controls of NA1SS, ISS crew member Suni Williams,
KD5PLB, fielded questions February 24 from youngsters
at Vasant Valley School in New Delhi, India. A couple
of days later, she got on the air to speak with
students at Camilo Castelo Branco School in Carnaxide,
Portugal. Williams assured one Vasant Valley student
that the ISS generates no appreciable pollution in
space. 

"We're just orbiting, so we're not giving off any
pollution while we're up here," Williams responded.
"Sometimes, some things fall off the space station,
like little pieces of dust or little pieces of metal,
but that's all, really, the pollution we're putting
out up here." 

Among the 13 youngsters participating in the event
were the niece and nephew of US astronaut Kalpana "KC"
Chawla, KD5ESI (SK), who died in the Columbia space
shuttle accident. 

Williams also explained that the microgravity
environment of space does have an effect on the crew's
health and fitness. "Of course, we don't have gravity
so we're not using our bones as much so we're not
stimulating our bones for bone growth, so we lose a
little bone, and also with that, we lose a little
muscle mass," she said. "To overcome that, we have a
nutrition experiment that we're monitoring what we're
eating as well as doing exercises -- some on the bike,
some on the treadmill and also some on the resistive
exercise device, which is like weights, to stimulate
the bones and muscles for growth." 

Williams, who's of Indian heritage, told the students
that she has some Indian cuisine aboard the ISS. 

The Vasant Valley ARISS event attracted news media
attention from several newspapers. 

On February 26, Williams chatted with high schoolers
in Portugal attending Camilo Castelo Branco High
School as well as Manuel Vaz School and Jorge Mineiro
School. Responding to one question, she said those
bound for space cannot learn everything they need to
know on Earth -- that there's a big difference between
training and the real thing. 

"The training is great, particularly the spacewalking
training and the robotic training on Earth are just
spectacular and really prepare you for the tasks that
you'll be doing up here," she said. "Now, living up in
space, that's a little bit different. I don't think we
have an accurate simulator to really understand how to
eat up here, how to sleep, and how to, you know, use
the bathroom and those types of things." 

One of the main missions of the space station crew is
to help determine how long humans can remain in space,
she told another questioner. Williams also said that
ISS crew members consider each other friends and
colleagues. 

Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes, PY0AEB, had been
scheduled to talk with students at Camilo Castelo
Branco School last April when he was aboard the ISS
during Expedition 12. The contact never took place,
however, because of Pontes' work schedule aboard the
space station. 

Nancy Rochelau, WH6PN, at Sacred Hearts Academy in
Honolulu served as the Earth station for the India
contact, while Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, in Australia
handled Earth station duties for the Portugal QSO. A
Verizon Conferencing teleconference link provided
two-way audio to the schools from each station. 

CLICK
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/03/02/101/?nc=1
to listen to the ARISS contact between Suni Williams,
KD5PLB, at NA1SS, and youngsters at Vasant Valley
School in India. [MP3, 9:43] 

CLICK
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/03/02/101/?nc=1
to listen to the ARISS contact between Suni Williams,
KD5PLB, at NA1SS, and students at Camilo Castelo
Branco School in Portugal. [MP3, 10:27] 
+++++++++++++++++
Source:
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/03/02/101/?nc=1


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   Jaisakthivel 
  Chennai, India. 

     
   
   



		
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