ariss antennas set to launch on nasa

ARISS Antennas Set To Launch On NASA Mission

Article below courtesy of ARRL Letter Vol. 26 No. 47:

Columbus , the laboratory built by the European Space Agency (ESA), is

now packed inside space shuttle Atlantis' payload bay. It is the

culmination of years of design and engineering work aimed at creating

Europe's primary component for the International Space Station (ISS).

At 23 feet long and 15 feet in diameter, the cylindrical segment is

designed to host specialized experiments examining how humans react to

microgravity and the effect of space on various fluids and objects

such as crystals. Two Amateur-Radio-on-the-International-Space-Station

(ARISS) antennas have been installed on the nadir side of Columbus.

NASA is currently planning on a launch date of Thursday, December 6

for Atlantis.

According to ARRL ARISS Program Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, "The

ARISS-Europe Team is holding weekly meetings to determine what the

ARISS International Team should have for a station in the Columbus

module. The Europeans will need to begin fundraising for the multiple

sets of equipment, such as the on-orbit equipment, the required

back-up on-orbit equipment and the test equipment. Some portions of

the equipment system can be purchased, but much of it would need to be

built. Once the team purchases or builds the equipment, next comes the

special testing (individual equipment tests plus an end-to-end test)

for space (probably by ESA), getting the equipment certified (also

probably by ESA) and finally manifesting the system for launch. All of

that will take many months and help from ARISS volunteers from many

countries."

The mission, STS-122, will bring seven astronauts to the ISS:

Commander Stephen N. Frick, KD5DZC; Pilot Alan G. Poindexter; Mission

Specialist Rex J. Walheim; Mission Specialist Stanley G. Love; Mission

Specialist Leland D. Melvin; Mission Specialist Hans Schlegel of

Germany, and Mission Specialist/Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Leopold

Eyharts, KE5FNO, of France.

Earlier this week, ISS Commander Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Dan

Tani, KD5DXE, installed the Centerline Berthing Camera System that

will be used for visual cues in the installation of the Columbus

module to the Harmony connecting node. Russian cosmonaut Yuri

Malenchenko, RK3DUP, is also on board. Tani is due to depart the ISS

when Atlantis returns to Earth; Eyharts will take his place.

Earlier this year, the ARISS antennas successfully passed electrical

and SWR tests, with one of the two antennas, Antenna 42, going through

a final test -- a thermal test under vacuum. Based on modeling,

engineers have no fear the antenna will pass with flying colors.

Columbus will house an additional Amateur Radio station, including the

first digital Amateur Radio TV (DATV) station in space, as well as a

ham radio transponder. The yet-to-be-built Columbus amateur gear will

facilitate operation on new frequencies that will make it possible for

ARISS to establish wideband and video operations for the first time

and allow continuous transponder operation.

At the ARISS International conference last year in San Francisco,

Graham Shirville, G3VZV, speaking on behalf of ARISS-Europe, outlined

plans for a mode L/S ham radio transponder as well as a DATV downlink

on S1 band (2.4 GHz). "So, future ARISS contacts could have pictures

as well as sound," Shirville told the delegates. ARISS-Europe is

looking at a 10 W transmitter and a signal bandwidth of from 4 to 8

MHz. Since the Columbus module will be some distance from the other

two ARISS stations, parallel operation will be possible.

Atlantis' mission to the ISS is scheduled to last 11 days. On flight

day 4, Walheim and Schlegel's main task will be to prepare the

Columbus module for installation on Harmony. They will install the

Power Data Grapple Fixture on Columbus, which will allow the space

station's robotic arm to grab the module and move it from the

shuttle's payload bay to Harmony. On flight day 8, Walheim and Love

will install two

payloads on Columbus' exterior: SOLAR, an observatory to monitor the

sun, and the European Technology Exposure Facility (EuTEF) which will

carry eight different experiments requiring exposure to the space

environment.

Funding to finish and install ham radio antennas on Columbus has been

uncertain; however. ARISS Vice Chairman Gaston Bertels, ON4WF, says

donations from various sources covered a payment of 9000 Euros

(approximately $12,000) in March. Donations already have come in from