International Space Station Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur, KC5ACR, spoke recently via ham radio with cadets at his alma mater, the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, and with high schoolers in Orlando, Florida. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program arranged both on-the-air events. During a January 26 direct VHF contact between NA1SS and W2KGY at West Point, one cadet asked McArthur’s opinion regarding the most important design factors for a future lunar base. McArthur responded by expressing his frustration with the ISS crew’s lack of control over its work schedule.
“We have a daily list of tasks that we’re scheduled out for,” McArthur told the cadets. “The bottom line is the schedule is very full, and you really need to maintain the timeline.” Unfortunately, he went on, various factors come into play that cause the crew to under-schedule the time needed for each task.
“So, I think the most important thing to do,” McArthur concluded, “is to give a crew on the lunar base more time to actually plan out their own activities, and give them adequate time to execute them.”
Answering another question, McArthur told the West Pointers that the crew sometimes finds itself wasting time on non-productive activities.
“The things that waste most of our time on orbit are all related to stowage,” he said. “We have limited stowage volume up here. Over time things migrate from place to place, and even though we have a fairly sophisticated inventory-management system, it’s very frustrating–it takes a lot of time–to find the tools and supplies that you need.”
On a more mundane subject, McArthur discussed the art of shaving in space. He said he uses a safety razor and shaving gel, but since he cannot rinse off the razor, blades have to be replaced more frequently. He said he sometimes uses an electric razor but doesn’t believe he gets as smooth a shave.
Audio of the approximately six and one-half minute contact between NA1SS and W2KGY was fed via closed circuit to the academy’s 4000 cadets could listen in. Seven cadets participated in the event. ARISS mentor Steve McFarlane, VE3BTD, provided equipment and antennas for the club station to undertake the contact, which McArthur had requested.
On February 2, McArthur took questions via ham radio from students attending Timber Creek High School, located some 30 miles from Cape Canaveral–close enough to see shuttle launches. A number of the students have parents who work in the space industry. On hand for the occasion was Florida’s Commissioner of Education John Winn.
During the direct VHF contact between NA1SS and KC4IYO, McArthur told the students that crew members “launch healthy” as part of an overall effort to avoid problems with illness in space. He pointed out that bones need physical stress to maintain their density. Because there is hardly any physical stress in the microgravity environment of the ISS, the crew must exercise vigorously every day and take vitamins to fend off the risk of bone loss.
Most of the students taking part in the interview were sophomores taking advanced placement biology, and many of their questions had to do with biology, physiology and botany. Some students from other classes also participated.
McArthur said that since living and working in space is considered stressful, the body needs more energy to deal with it. So, crew members are provided with a high-calorie diet, whether they’ll consume it or not.
“We are provided more calories on orbit,” McArthur explained. “At some point, though, I’ve found that I simply can’t eat all the food that is provided for me. I just get too full.”
Fielding a question about getting ready for a space walk–something the crew was doing the week of the contact–McArthur said the crew spends the better part of a week preparing their spacesuits and equipment. “The thing we have to do is gather all the equipment, which may be stored in different locations of the space station,” McArthur explained, “then actually install things such as the carbon dioxide scrubbing canisters, humidity separators–things like that in a spacesuit because they can’t be installed for a long period of time.”
In terms of science aboard the ISS, McArthur said the crew is trying to learn how to do research in space. “We’re actually maybe two generations away from things that have direct application,” he added.
As the Timber Creek contact got under way, McArthur took the opportunity to greet Coordinating Teacher Sarah Longino. “It’s a delight to hear your voice,” McArthur said, noting that he and Longino have been friends for more than four decades.
John Rothert, KC4IYO, served as the Earth station control op for the contact between the ISS and the suburban high school, which boasts a student population of approximately 4000. Coordinating the radio contact was Joe Singer, N4IPV, and members of the Lake Monroe Amateur Radio Society assisted in setting up equipment for the contact. The ARISS mentor was Keith Pugh, W5IU.
ARISS http://www.rac.ca/ariss is an international educational outreach,with US participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.