Youth & STEM Outreach

Cubes in Space/New England Sci-Tech NASA Balloon Launch, August 16, 2022

by

Cubes in Space NASA balloon launch pixTo our Cubes in Space Students and Friends of New England Sci-Tech:

NASA Balloon Launch attempt will be TOMORROW morning – Tuesday, 16 August 2022, from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in New Mexico.

TWO TEAMS of NESciTech students have Cubes-in-Space projects on board to fly.

Video of inflation should begin around 5-5:30 AM EDT (-4GMT).

Launch attempt between 7-9 AM EDT (-4GMT).

NASA says: “Tomorrow we have a VERY small window before monsoonal moisture and winds move in after late morning. Next attempt COULD be Friday if models are correct in predicting a small window of opportunity. It’s going to get rainy and windy in southwest Texas and New Mexico.”

For live location and coordinates: https://towerfts.csbf.nasa.gov/Maps/ConvGPS721NT.htm.

For live stream video: https://video.ibm.com/channel/nasa-csbf-ldsd

Our other two teams’ projects have already flown on the sounding rocket successfully launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in June. Congratulations to those teams!

Don’t forget – NESciTech students will be doing a “Space Chat” with the astronauts at the BIG E state fair in September. We have room for two more students to join our contact with the International Space Station. Call me ASAP to participate. INFO FLYER HERE: https://nescitech.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Poster-for-ARISS-RADIO.pdf

Best regards,
Bob

Bob Phinney, K5TEC, President

New England Sci-Tech Inc.
16 Tech Circle
Natick MA 01760
508-720-4179
www.NESciTech.org

Newport County Radio Club to Support Two JOTA Locations in Portsmouth & Rockville (RI), October 16, 2022

by
1. Jamboree on the Air (JOTA)
WHEN – Friday, October 14th – Sunday, October 16th, 2022, with our focus on Saturday October 15th
PURPOSE – Provide a HAM/Radio experience to the scouts and interface with the community.  Provide an opportunity for the Scouts BSA to earn the Radio Merit Badge.
 
WHERE – There will be two locations that will be supported by NCRC:  
The Glen, off Glen Rd, Portsmouth, RI
Yawgoog Scout Reservation, 61 Camp Yawgoog Rd, Rockville, RI
Note:  John is working with other HAMs/Scouters to get two other locations to run similar to how NCRC has operated the Glen over the last few years.  The goal is to provide a maximum opportunity for the Scouts to Get on the Air!

INTRODUCTION – Jamboree on the Air – Jamboree on the Internet (JOTA-JOTI) promotes a Scout’s sense of belonging to the worldwide Scout Movement and builds cultural awareness, develops tolerance, advocates sharing and collaboration as well as demonstrates teamwork. It provides exciting opportunities for young people to explore technology and to develop technical skills including fostering innovation and creativity through communicating with other Scouts. A wide range of activities using communication technology are the chief methods of attaining these goals. JOTA-JOTI strives for a meaningful engagement of as many young people from as many parts of the world as possible annually on the third weekend in October. This weekend is also an occasion to celebrate Scouting and to generate positive energy to support the development of the Scout Movement. The event seeks to promote quality Scouting in a manner faithful to the purpose, principles and method of Scouting and consistent with the needs and aspirations of young people in today’s world. The JOTA-JOTI programme shall be a reflection of the Promise, Law, Principles and Method of Scouting, as defined by the WOSM Constitution, and shall also reflect the most up-to-date policies and initiatives of WOSM relating to youth programmes for all ages. For more information please visit the event website: www.world-jotajoti.info

Adventure at the Fort (Jamboree)
WHEN – Friday, October 21st – Sunday, October 23rd, 2022
PURPOSE – Provide a HAM/Radio experience to the scouts and interface with the community.

WHAT –  Join Narragansett Council at Fort Adams this fall for the first Council Jamboree in 20 years! The Narragansett Council is excited to bring Scouts and families together for a weekend of fun and adventure. Join thousands of Scouts from across New England, for an event like no other! Stay for the weekend with your troop or join us for the day on Saturday. The programs will be non-stop, highlighting unique scout activities, and opportunities you will only find at the 2022 Adventure at The Fort. We’ll be joined by program partners including youth programs, colleges, universities, military, historical groups, environmental organizations, nautical clubs, and so many more! You won’t want to miss the scout-led activities, food trucks, Sunday Services, trading post, and a full-scale Saturday Night stage show!
The Narragansett Council Jamboree is open to the public for day programs on 10/22, Scouts will not want to miss this chance to bring their friends. Adventure at The Fort is a can’t miss event for every Scout.
Weekend Camping for Scouts BSA Troops (11-18 years old)
All-day programs for Cubs on 10/22 (6-10 years old)
Public welcome on 10/22
Troops registered to camp will arrive on Friday evening, participate in all Saturday programs and depart on Sunday. Troops are responsible for their own meals, propane stoves are allowed, food trucks are available all-day Saturday. No fires.
Setup antennas prior to the event.  Operated through the weekend (Scouts BSA) with a focus on activities on Saturday for Scouts BSA, Cubs, families, and the community!
Make it FUN!
WHERE – Fort Adams State Park – 90 Fort Adams Drive, Newport, RI 02840
WHY – Adventure at the Fort is the largest, most exciting, Narragansett Council event in years. Scouts will participate in activities not offered at summer camp or a typical scout Camporee! Meet scouts from across New England, camp in a one-of-a-kind 19th-century coastal fort located on the shore of beautiful Narragansett Bay. Bring your friends and family, show them all the awesome things that Scouts do. Join us Saturday Night for a stage show celebrating the fun and fellowship of Scouting. Food trucks! Sailing! Climbing! and More!

 
 

Media Hits From ARISS Contact at Challenger Learning Center of Maine

by

International Space StationRosalie White, K1STO, writes:

All, here are two nice media hits on the ARISS radio contact for Challenger Learning Centers–with these stories being specific to the Challenger Learning Center of Maine:

Kids in Bangor reach for the stars by speaking to astronaut – News Center Maine
Bob Hines called in using amateur radio, giving kids at Challenger Centers across the country the opportunity to ask questions.
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/kids-in-bangor-making-a-connection-to-space-maine/97-422d53cf-3d8c-449d-b4b9-6f2d5121df59

Challenger Maine campers speak with NASA Astronaut aboard ISS – WABI
The Challenger Center and the Amateur Radio on the ISS hosted the live conversation.
https://www.wabi.tv/2022/07/28/challenger-maine-campers-speak-with-nasa-astronaut-aboard-iss/

BIG E Space Chat Leadership Team

by

International Space Station

New England school students will be making live radio contact with an astronaut on the International Space Station from The BIG E during the week of September 26th – October 1st. The “BIG E Space Chat” is part of a program to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) educational activities and Amateur Radio learning activities for young people.

NEST Science Space Club for Youth flyer

New England Sci-Tech is sponsoring a 12-month STEM education program free of charge to all students grades 4 through 12 and Scouts in New England as part of the contact program. The program will provide hands-on learning about Space Science, Radio Communications, Electronics, Satellites, Rocketry, Astronomy, Amateur Radio, and more. Ten students participating in the Sci-Tech educational program will be chosen to make contact and chat live with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) from the BIG E.

The contact and the associated educational program are a result of a partnership between The BIG E, New England Sci-Tech (a STEM education group in New England), Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), Black Helicopter Creative LLC, the New England Division of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and local Amateur Radio organizations.

Execution planning has been underway for some time, and we are pleased to announce the addition of Ray Lajoie AA1SE, ARRL Western Massachusetts Section Manager, to the contact leadership team. Ray will be responsible for working with the BIG E team and our content production partner Black Helicopter to set up, test, and facilitate the development and delivery of a pre-contact program.

Ray joins and rounds out the existing BIG E space chat planning team consisting of:

  • Bob Phinney K5TEC – Education Planning and Execution
  • Phil Temples K9HI – Publicity and Promotion
  • Ray Lajoie AA1SE – Venue and Program Planning and Execution
  • Fred Kemmerer AB1OC – ARISS Mentor

The BIG E planning team is being assisted by Dylann Keaney, President of Black Helicopter Creative LLC, Barbara Irby, KC1KGS, Dan Norman, N0HF, and Larry Krainson, W1AST, in planning what expect will be a major Amateur Radio event in New England. You can learn more about the BIG E space chat here.

Fred Kemmerer AB1OC
ARRL New England Division Director

Rhode Island STEAM Club “Making Its Own DX”

by
N1ASA APRSA Rhode Island STEAM club is making its own kind of DX. The All Saints STEAM Academy (N1ASA) in Middletown, Rhode Island, is tracking its GPS/tracker balloon using APRS. As of mid-day June 8, it was located over Canada. 
 
“N1ASA’s GPS/tracker balloon survived the night and is reporting regularly Wednesday from 24,000 feet above Nova Scotia, heading at 24 MPH to the northeast,” according to a post today on the Newport County Radio Club’s Facebook page.
 
“Tuesday’s thick cloud cover which disrupted the production of solar power has thinned out. There’s no battery on board, just a ‘super capacitor’ to store enough power to run the 0.02-watt transmitter for 110 seconds every 10 minutes.” The package uses a 35-foot dipole antenna.
 
The group hopes the balloon will continue to remain airborne long enough to reach Europe. 

ARRL Kids Day, June 18, 2022

by

ARRL Kids Day is on Saturday, June 18, and will run from 1800 UTC through 2359 UTC. It’s the perfect opportunity to introduce youngsters to the excitement of amateur radio. The exchange is the participant’s name, age, location, and favorite color. Sponsored by the Boring, (Oregon) Amateur Radio Club, Kids Day is held every year on the first Saturday in January and the third Saturday in June. More information is available at www.arrl.org/kids-day.

AB1OC ARISS Contact With Suffolk County, NY Boy Scout Group Can Be Heard Across New England, June 4, 2022

by

AB1OC ARISS groundstationFrom ARISS:

June 2, 2022—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and the Matinecock District Boy Scouts in Centerport, New York.  ARISS conducts 60-80 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS

The Boy Scouts of Matinecock District of Suffolk County Council, Boy Scouts of America (BSA), is located in New York on Long Island, and composed of about 52 units made up of youth ages 5-18 years. In addition to teaching youth outdoor skills, the BSA also puts a strong focus on STEM initiatives in several Cub Scout and Scouts BSA activities dealing with the sciences, robotics, engineering, and exploring all aspects of life. The venue provided for this ARISS contact is the Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium in Centerport, New York, which has hosted events during the previous year in order to foster interest in space and space exploration for the scouts. During the year leading up to this contact, the scouts have been learning through STEM-based projects about the ISS missions, and amateur radio (including morse code practice).

This will be a telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of Astronaut Kjell Lindgren, amateur radio call sign KO5MOS. Local Covid-19 protocols are adhered to as applicable for each ARISS contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the telebridge station.

The ARISS amateur radio ground station (telebridge station) for this contact is in Hollis, New Hampshire, U.S.. The amateur radio volunteer team at the ground station will use the callsign AB1OC, to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for June 4, 2022 at 1:56 pm EDT (New York) (17:56 UTC, 12:56 pm CDT, 11:56 am MDT, 10:56 am PDT).

As time allows, students will ask these questions:

  1. What do you have to study after HS in order to have a career as an Astronaut?
  2. Could the ISS ever be self-sustaining and not need care-packages of food/water/oxygen from Earth?
  3. Are ISS teams only picked based on skills, or does NASA try to match personalities as well?
  4. How does the ISS stay safe from all the “space junk” floating around the Earth?
  5. Do you only do experiments in your field of expertise on the ISS or because of limited resources do you find yourself assisting others doing things you’re not as comfortable with?
  6. Is automated piloting better than manual piloting in terms of flight controls and docking?
  7. What one thing did you do as a young adult that you felt was your first significant step to becoming an astronaut?
  8. I’ve heard being in space can change you taste buds. Have you created any interesting or creative recipes to make space food taste better?
  9. How do they supply the ISS with constant oxygen?
  10. We saw a video of a gorilla suit prank on the ISS a few month ago. Has there been any other funny pranks?
  11. What jobs do you have to do on the ship?
  12. Do the astronauts get to bring something from home with them to space?
  13. I’ve heard astronauts from different countries will trade food. What country has the most popular dish on the ISS?
  14. In your personal opinion, what is the best and least best thing about being on the ISS?
  15. Can you swim in space when you’re floating?
  16. Can you feel the affects being in space has on your body? If so, what’s it like?
  17. Can you yo-yo upside down in space?
  18. Does the ISS have technology installed that could capture Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP)like the US Navy has recently? Have you seen anything up there that you can’t explain?
  19. What does it feel like to go to space?
  20. I read that there was once water on Mars. Where did all the water go?

ARISS logoAbout ARISS:

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) and NASA’s Space communications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org

Capital Area Kids’ Net

by

Capital Area Kids' Net logoThe first session of the Capital Area Kids’ Net will take place on Sunday, May 22, at 7:30 pm. The target group for this net is elementary & middle school aged children who check in with an adult control operator, but any licensed amateurs are welcome to check in. The goal of the net is to provide a positive experience of amateur radio for kids in this age group with the hopes that they will want to further explore the hobby.

This will be a directed net where adult control operators will be asked to check in and say the first names of any children with them who wish to participate. Every week will feature a kid-friendly question to encourage a little more than just single word responses (The question on May 22 will be “What’s you favorite kind of pizza?”).

The net will take place every Sunday evening at 7:30 pm on the KA1OKQ repeater in Pembroke, NH (147.225 MHz, minus offset, 100Hz tone) and is sponsored by the Capital Area Repeater Society. This repeater has a fairly wide coverage area, so please help us spread the word!

If you would like to receive email announcements about this net, please send me a note at n1ji@arrl.net.

73,
Jock Irvine, N1JI
 
 

Project “Big E” Receives Approval for Hosting an ARISS Contact!

by

Larry Krainson, W1AST, writes on the Project Big E list:

I just received word that the Big E Booth’s application for an ARISS [Amateur Radio on the International Space Station] contact has been APPROVED! 

We’re working closely with New England Sci-Tech President Bob Phinney, K5TEC, and our New England Division Director Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, to make this happen.

We’re very excited as you all should be too!

There is still much to plan and put in place.

But a great way to start your Sunday!

[For more information about the Amateur Radio presence at the Big E, and to get involved, see <https://nediv.arrl.org/2021/01/10/amateur-radio-booth-proposed-for-the-big-e-in-2022/>.]