Thursday, May 14, 2020

"Multipoint Telebridge" Advancing as Means to Continue ARISS Contact


(NASA photo)
The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program hit the "pause" button in March and April as school closings and stay-at-home orders made it impossible for astronauts to make their usual group contacts with schools and museums. Program leaders are adapting, though, by mixing Zoom-style virtual meeting technology with the "telebridge" approach used by ARISS for years to permit contacts to be made even when the ISS is not in a favorable location for a direct contact.

As of press time, two experimental contacts have been made, the first in Virginia (with the telebridge station in New Hampshire) and the second in Alberta, Canada (with the telebridge station in South Africa). Newesline reports that a video of the first contact is available online at <https://youtu.be/Cu8I9ose4Vo>.