Amateur Radio Newsline Report 2291, for Friday, September 24th, 2021
Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2291, with a release date of
Friday, September 24th, 2021, to follow in 5-4-3-2-1.
The following is a QST. Hospitalized children talk to the ISS via ham
radio. Researchers call for new regulations for satellites -- and
youthful SOTA activators in Romania have a meeting with meteors. All
this and more, as Amateur Radio Newsline Report Number 2291 comes your
way right now.
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BILLBOARD CART
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HOSPITALIZED CHILDREN CONTACT ISS VIA HAM RADIO
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a story that shows the power
that amateur radio can have in the lives of children, especially those
who have been hospitalized for serious illness. Kevin Trotman, N5PRE,
brings us that report.
KEVIN: It was a remarkable 10 minutes that students and patients at the
Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., are not likely to
forget: a question-and-answer exchange on Tuesday, September 21st,
between an ISS astronaut and the young patients in the pediatric acute
care hospital in America's capital city.
According to Bob Koepke, AA6TB, the event's technical mentor, the ARISS contact
was arranged with Seacrest Studios, the educational space
inside the hospital to continue patients' education while they are
receiving treatment there. The space and communications component is
coordinated with the help of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, NASA
and the local Alexandria Amateur Radio Club. Bob said the hospital's
proposal for the ISS contact had been accepted in March of 2020 but
concerns for COVID safety changed the shape of the event. Instead of
using an on-site amateur radio station for the contact, it would rely
instead on a multi-point telebridge with Claudio Ariotti, IK1SLD, in
Italy, eliminating the need for a large gathering of people. The
patients stayed in their rooms, connecting to the action via an iPad
and the help of a hospital staffer.
JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI, was ready and fielded 16
questions, using the callsign OR4ISS, during the 10-minute pass. More
than 1,300 students and patients from kindergarten to 12th grade
enjoyed the event, along with 500 parents and 400 professionals. A
recording of the contact is available on YouTube at the link that
appears in this week's Newsline script at arnewsline.org
Meanwhile, the application period begins on October 1st for proposals
for ARISS contacts in 2022.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Kevin Trotman, N5PRE.
FOR PRINT, DO NOT READ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKDjGxmcE-Y
(ARISS, BOB KOEPKE, AA6TB)
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RESEARCHER BLAMES SATELLITES FOR NIGHT SKY 'POLLUTION'
STEPHEN/ANCHOR: Look! Up in the sky! That is, if you can. Light
pollution is becoming an issue and researchers in Canada have what they
hope is a solution. With that story, here's Andy Morrison, K9AWM.
ANDY: A Canadian astronomer is urging that international regulations be
established to set limits on permissible levels of satellite brightness.
Samantha Lawler of the University of Regina (ruh-JYE-nuh) in Saskatchewan
said the ever-increasing population of communications satellites, such as
those launched by SpaceX's Starlink, generate the kind of light pollution
that hampers astronomers' research. The scientist was part of a team that
included researchers from the University of British Columbia and the
University of Toronto who studied the optical brightness of thousands
of satellites, including those in so-called megaconstellations.
The team concluded that in the not-too-distant future one in every 15
points of light in the sky will actually be a satellite. The research
team also expressed concern about the crowding of satellites in orbit,
increasing the possibility of more collisions.
For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Andy Morrison, K9AWM.
(GLOBAL NEWS, SOUTHGATE, CJWW RADIO)
--- SBBSecho 3.14-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (454:1/33)
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