[NLRS] School Int'l Space Station QSO

[Richard Clem]

I would like to make a request to NLRS and/or individual members, and possibly
request that an item be placed on the agenda of the business meeting at
Aurora.

I just heard back from the principal of my son's school, Roseville Area Middle
School, that they would like to apply to make a contact with the International
Space Station.  I've been involved with a couple of these (as an observer)
through scouting, and it's a very exciting program that really energizes kids
about scientific topics, including Amateur Radio.   

There is an application process, and we need to submit the application by
April 30.  If successful, a contact would be scheduled in the first half of
2019.  During the contact, pre-selected students would ask a question, which
would be answered by the astronaut.

There are two types of contacts that can be made.  One option is to use a
"telebridge," which simply means that the school would be connected by phone
to a home station somewhere, and the telephone call would be piped into the PA
system.  The advantage of this, of course, is that it's less prone to
technical difficulties, and probably much less work.

The other option is to set up a station at the school, and the contact would
be made directly as the ISS comes within range.  In my opinion, this is much
more exciting.  The students can see the antenna out in the parking lot, and
they are talking directly into the radio that's talking to the ISS.  As the
ISS comes over the horizon, scratchy audio starts to fill the room, and the
sound becomes clear within a matter of seconds.

For a direct contact, the equipment requirements are as follows.  (As you can
see, this is very similar to a typical VHF rover station!):

Two redundant stations.  The main station is a 50-100 watt FM transceiver
programmed with various frequencies to accommodate Doppler shift.  The antenna
is a circularly polarized Yagi with azimuth and elevation rotors with computer
control.  A receiver preamp should be mounted on the antenna.

The backup station is a separate transceiver to an omnidirectional antenna,
with battery backup.  This ensures that if something goes wrong, a minimal
contact will be possible.

The full equipment requirements can be found at this link:
http://www.ariss.org/uploads/1/9/6/8/19681527/ariss_ground_station.pdf

With the exception of the az-el rotor, the station is comprable to what most
VHF contesters use, and setting this up and operating it is well within the
capabilities of most NLRS members.

The reason why I'm reaching out now is because the initial proposal must be
submitted by April 30.  We would hear back in 6-8 weeks, which would be late
June.  If accepted, we would need to submit an equipment plan at that time. 
If we were not able to, or if the equipment plan was not approved, then we
could probably still proceed with a telebridge contact.

A commitment from a radio club is not absolutely required at this time.  But I
think that a strong proposal to make a direct contact with the ISS would be
much more likely to be accepted, and it would be even better if we can show
that we're getting the equipment issues lined up.

It's not required right now, but we would be encouraged to include in our
proposal a signed letter of commitment from a local radio club.  The exact
contents of that letter are not specified, but I think it would be best if it
could say that the club could provide ___ number of experienced VHF-UHF
operators to set up and operate the station, and that club members have and
can lend all or most of the required equipment.  If we don't have all of the
equipment (such as a portable antenna with az-el rotors) at this time, I don't
think that's fatal.  If our proposal is accepted, we would be assigned an
AMSAT mentor, and I suspect some of this equipment is available for loan. 
When I was part of the ISS contact at the Scout Jamboree, the antenna was on a
trailer-mounted tower, and I would probably be willing to drive somewhere to
pick up such a trailer.

So my questions at this time are:

1.  Regardless of whether or not the club can make a formal commitment, are
any members (or non-member hams) interested in lending their time and/or
equipment to help make this happen?

2.  Would NLRS be willing to sign a letter of commitment that they can
participate?

3.  Does anyone have ideas on how to make this an even better experience?

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.  I subscribe to the
digest of the reflector, so please copy me on directly on any replies to the
list, to clem.law at usa.net.  Also, I'll plan on being at Aurora, and look
forward to talking about it then with anyone who is interested.  If you would
like, I'd be happy to make a short presentation.

I think this is an exciting opportunity to let kids have a hands-on experience
with science, and with Amateur Radio in particular.  These events are always
well publicized, and it would be a great opportunity to put Amateur Radio in a
very positive light.

TNX & 73,
Rick W0IS