SAREX: Additional STS-74 Information For Teachers SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION STS-74 SHUTTLE AMATEUR RADIO EXPERIMENT (SAREX) BACKGROUND FOR THE CLASSROOM This information is provided by: THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE (ARRL) Educational Activities Department (EAD) 225 Main Street Newington CT 06111-1494 USA Telephone: (860) 594-0301 FAX: (860) 594-0259 Internet: sarex@arrl.org ARRL BBS: (860) 594-0306 CompuServe: 70007,3373 Prodigy: PTYS02A America Online: HQARRL1 Student's Name:_________________________________________________ Mission Number: STS (Shuttle Transport System) - 74 Launch Date: November 1, 1995 Length of Mission: 7 days, 21 hours Vehicle: The Space Shuttle Atlantis Altitude: 196-245 miles Orbital Period: 90 minutes Crew: (name, title, Amateur Radio call sign) Kenneth D. Cameron, Commander, call sign KB5AWP James Donald Halsell, Jr., Pilot Jerry L. Ross, Mission Specialist 1, call sign N5SCW William Surles McArthur, Jr., Mission Specialist 2, call sign KC5ACR Chris Hadfield, Mission Specialist 3, call sign to be determined Mission Objectives: SECOND MIR DOCKING MISSION The Space Shuttle Atlantis makes its second trip to the Russian Space Station Mir during this mission, this time to install a permanent docking module that will simplify future shuttle link ups to the Russian complex. The target Mir docking date is November 4. This mission is the second of seven shuttle flights to Mir. This effort, known as Phase 1, is a precursor to building the International Space Station. [This information taken from the NASA STS-74 Mission Summary, 12/14/94.] SHUTTLE AMATEUR RADIO EXPERIMENT The STS-74 crew will take on the role of teacher as they educate students about mission objectives. Using the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX), astronauts aboard the Shuttle Atlantis will discuss with students what it is like to live and work in space. The crew has scheduled Amateur Radio contacts with student groups from California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois and Indiana. The astronauts will also make random radio contacts with the Amateur Radio community (hams) and personal radio contacts with their families. Vocabulary: docking, module, link, complex, precursor, objectives, Amateur Radio HAM RADIO CALLING THE SPACE SHUTTLE With the help of Amateur Radio operators, astronauts have been speaking to students over the "ham" radio airwaves from aboard the space shuttles. They are showing teachers, students, parents and communities how Amateur Radio energizes students about science, technology, and learning. The program is called SAREX, the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment. SAREX is an educational program sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). With the help of volunteers from each of these organizations, and a cadre of ham-licensed astronauts, SAREX has earned tremendous attention from the media, worldwide. NASA's intent in making astronauts available for SAREX operations is to involve the largest possible numbers of people, particularly youngsters, in technology and the US space program with the help of Amateur Radio. Astronauts using a radio from inside the shuttle can communicate with ham radio operators on the Earth. During a SAREX shuttle mission, a handful of schools are selected from around the world to make scheduled contact with the astronauts. These contacts are prearranged, giving the schools a greater chance at making a successful contact. Two or more students at each of the selected schools ask questions of the astronauts during the contact: "What does it feel like to return to Earth aboard the shuttle?" "Can a bird fly in zero-g?" The nature of these questions embodies the primary goal of SAREX--to excite students' interest in learning. "Teachers around the country report that SAREX-in-the-classroom creates interest and enthusiasm on the part of students," says Bob Inderbitzen, of the ARRL's education office. "Once, we thought science and technology were important only for students who wanted jobs in engineering and science. Today, however, the tools of everyday life are filled with computers and communication devices, and using them is becoming more difficult. Students who are not 'turned onto' technology today, may be left out tomorrow. We've found SAREX and Amateur Radio in the classroom help make learning exciting, and real." During a conference with the Space Shuttle Endeavour astronauts on June 22, 1993, President Bill Clinton had the following comments about the SAREX program: "you may be on this mission creating thousands of scientists for the future just by the power of your example and by this direct (Amateur Radio) communication." Besides contacting students, the astronauts also make Amateur Radio contacts with members of the ham radio community, and personal contacts with their own families. In order to carry Amateur Radio on the space shuttle, one or more of the astronauts needs to have an Amateur Radio license. And, because there is no age limit to become a "ham," many students also earn their own Amateur Radio licenses. "SAREX isn't a video game," says Bob Inderbitzen. "This is the real thing. Talking directly with astronauts in space is a once in a lifetime opportunity for students." Inderbitzen says that students use computers to track the space shuttle. Real-life lessons in geography and mathematics are taught. When they make contact, lessons in electronics and communications suddenly make sense. But most importantly, SAREX inspires students to "reach for the stars." Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper: 1) What is a SAREX? 2) How do the astronauts "talk" with students on Earth? 3) Create a question that you would ask an astronaut. 4) Why is it important for students to be excited about science and technology? Ideas for the Classroom Missouri school teacher, Sheila Perry, NOUOP, has been successfully integrating Amateur Radio, SAREX, and space-related education in a curriculum for her students for over 4 years. Her programs have been so successful that she's even seen her students' aptitude test scores increase. The students have also earned numerous honors, and were selected for SAREX during a mission in October 1993. Sheila was selected as the ARRL Professional Educator of the Year during the 1994-1995 school term. You can read more about Sheila's educational programs in a recent QST article, "A Trip Through the Teaching Universe--Sheila Perry, NOUOP, Blasts Off With $155,000 of Grant Money!" and in the 1995 Proceedings of the ARRL National Educational Workshop book (her article is titled, "How to Fit More SPACE into a Crowded Curriculum"). Here are a few of Sheila's activities that you and your students will enjoy as you prepare to participate in the upcoming SAREX shuttle mission: SPACE! Sheila has implemented space-related lessons and activities across the curriculum, which have helped make students more interested in learning. Some of the activities have been related to KSAM math and science activities as well as her own teacher-developed plans. Her school district has a portable planetarium and a Space Lab for whole-class instruction. The room is equipped with computers, space T-shirts, space memorabilia, a space library, posters and other items of interest to students. I'M A HAM! Sheila's students receive an introduction to Amateur Radio as they learn about its use, basic electrical skills, what a SAREX mission is, Morse code and its importance, and an introduction to the metric system. TRAK A SAT! Students work in groups to track satellites and shuttles using a computer. They plot the course of a satellite in their logbooks. Students learn about AOS (acquisition of signal) which tells them when the satellite will be traveling overhead. Longitude and latitude skills are introduced. Students learn about geography while having fun tracking satellites. They also learn about the importance of satellites, and possible career opportunities. PACKET PALS! Students improve their writing skills as they correspond with packet pals. Packet pals are pen pals over the Amateur Radio airwaves. With the help of a licensed ham nearby, students type letters on a computer, connect to their local packet pals and leave the letters in their mailboxes. If the person on the other end is sitting at the computer, the students can talk/type directly over the airwaves back and forth. Students write a draft copy of a letter to their packet pal in their journal, the teacher proofreads it, and then the students make corrections and send the letter to their packet pal's mailbox. The next day a reply is always waiting for them. Senior citizens, veterans, and other local ham radio neighbors can make great packet pals. Students keep their letters and replies in their ham journals and date each entry. Best of all...there are no long distance telephone fees! MISSION CONTROL! Establish an Amateur Radio station in the classroom. Call it, "Mission Control." Teachers--earn your own Amateur Radio licenses, and then help your students earn their own "tickets." SAMPLE NEWS RELEASE: [SCHOOL NAME] STUDENTS TO TRY RADIO CONTACT WITH SHUTTLE ATLANTIS ASTRONAUTS [Town, November 1995] Students from [School Name] in [Town] will listen to, and then try to contact via ham radio, astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis (mission STS-74) scheduled for launch tomorrow. This 8-day mission is the shuttle's second trip to the Russian Space Station Mir. During this flight, the astronauts will install a permanent docking module on Mir that will simplify future shuttle link ups to the Russian complex. The student activity is part of the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX), an educational program sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Using Amateur Radio equipment provided by the sponsoring group, the shuttle astronauts have schedules to talk with student groups at 5 specially selected schools in the US. The crew also plans to listen at random times for hundreds of other students and ham radio operators. Three of the five crew members have earned Amateur Radio licenses. Kenneth D. Cameron (Commander) has call sign KB5AWP, Jerry L. Ross (Mission Specialist 1) is N5SCW, and William Surles McArthur, Jr. (Mission Specialist 2) is KC5ACR. The crew also includes astronauts James Donald Halsell, Jr. (Pilot) and Chris Hadfield (Mission Specialist 3). "SAREX gets students excited about science and technology and helps them with math, geography, physics and communications skills" says [Teacher's name], "It's not too farfetched to speculate that the next generation of astronauts, engineers and scientists for the nation's space program are among students who have been involved in this project." Local shortwave radio enthusiasts may be able to monitor the astronaut's shuttle-to-mission control conversations on the following frequencies: 3.86, 7.185, 14.295, 21.395 and 28.65 MHz. These frequencies are all from the Goddard Amateur Radio Club (call sign WA3NAN) in Greenbelt, MD. Local scanner enthusiasts may be able to find these same transmissions re- transmitted on local VHF frequencies in the 144.0 to 148.0 MHz range throughout the mission. Today, there are more than 650,000 Amateur Radio operators in the US and more than 2.5 million worldwide. Information on how to become involved in ham radio and SAREX is available by calling 1-800-32-NEWHAM (800-326-3942) or by writing the ARRL, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494, or by sending email to sarex@arrl.org. [Teacher] says that by tracking the shuttle with computers, and by trying to make radio contact with the astronauts, students learn real-life lessons. When they make contact, lessons in technology and communications suddenly make sense. But most important, [Teacher] says that SAREX inspires many students to "reach for the stars." 1995 American Radio Relay League STS74LSN.TXT 10/95 eof