NASA International Space Station Science Officer Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, told students at Pennsylvania’s Upper St Clair High School August 27 that life in space is both fun and, at times, challenging. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school group contact between NA1SS in space and WB4GCS in Western Pennsylvania represented a homecoming of sort for Fincke, who was born in Pittsburgh and whose parents live in Emsworth, where he grew up. Fincke said problems with an onboard gyroscope system that occurred just as the Expedition 9 crew arrived aboard the ISS presented the most unexpected challenge to date of his six-month tour of duty.
“Our biggest challenge was to get some spacesuits and get outside and fix it, and it turned out that the American spacesuits were broken, and we had to go to our backup plan with the Russian spacesuits,” Fincke recounted. “That took a lot of work. That was a big challenge, but we were successful on the Fourth of July weekend, and we fixed that gyroscope’s power source.” The challenge aside, Fincke said, the experience was “really exhilarating.”
Although he’s missed his wife and children while in space since April, Fincke says he’s enjoying his time aboard the ISS.
“The most fun I’ve ever had in space has been every day since I got here,” he said in reply to a youngster’s question. “I’ve been waiting my whole life, and every day aboard the space station has been a great day. There’s always something new, something new to learn, something new to see.”
Fincke said he’d like to see the human space flight program focus on once again landing on the moon, journeying to Mars and eventually to the stars. “We need to explore who we are and our potential as human beings.”
Fincke also philosophized in response to a question about the perspective he’s gained from living in space. “Every piece of history, everything we’ve ever talked about, every poem that was ever created, every heart that was broken, every joy that was felt is just on that ball of rock that’s below us right now, and that really puts things into perspective.”
The Expedition 9 crew is scheduled to return to Earth in about six weeks.
Mentoring the ARISS contact was Howard Ziserman, WA3GOV. Jim Sanford, WB4GCS, served as the control operator. Setting up the Earth station for the contact were the Wireless Association of South Hills (WASH) and Washington Amateur Communications (WACOM), with assistance from local AMSAT members.
ARISS is an educational outreach with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.