Going forward, the US arm of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station International working group will be known as ARISS-USA, an independent organization. ARISS serves as the intermediary to arrange contacts between schools and organizations on Earth and ISS crew members. ARISS-USA incorporated as a non-profit entity in Maryland in late May. The move will allow ARISS-USA to work independently, soliciting grants and donations. ARISS-USA will continue promoting amateur radio and science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) goals within schools and educational organizations. ARISS-USA lead Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, noted that the scope and reach of what ARISS accomplishes has grown significantly since its modest start in 1996.
“Our working group status made it cumbersome to establish partnerships, sign agreements, and solicit grants,” Bauer said. “These can only be done as an established organization.” Bauer made it clear that ARISS-USA is “deeply indebted to our working group partners — ARRL and AMSAT, who enabled the birth of ARISS — and our steadfast sponsors, NASA Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN), and the ISS National Lab (INL).”
The move toward becoming an independent organization has been discussed for quite a while, ARISS-USA said in announcing the change.
“ARISS-USA will maintain its collaborative work with ARISS International as well as with US sponsors, partners, and interest groups,” the announcement said. “The main goal of ARISS-USA remains as connecting educational groups with opportunities to interact with astronauts aboard the [space station]. ARISS-USA will expand its human spaceflight opportunities with the space agencies beyond low-Earth orbit, starting with lunar opportunities including the Lunar Gateway. ARISS-USA will continue to review and accept proposals for ISS contacts and expand its other educational opportunities to increase interest in space sciences and radio communications.”
ARISS-USA said it’s in the process of applying for tax-exempt status as an IRS Section 501(c)(3) charitable, scientific, or educational organization. Approval will mean that donations made directly to ARISS-USA will be tax deductible for US taxpayers. In the meantime, ARISS-USA can accept tax-deductible contributions via AMSAT-NA through the ARISS website.
In its announcement, ARISS-USA acknowledged several individuals who were instrumental in its formation in 1996. The list included past ARRL President Vic Clark, W4KFC; past ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ; former AMSAT-NA presidents Bill Tynan, W3XO (SK), and Tom Clark, W3IO; Roy Neal, K6DUE (SK), whom ARISS-USA described as “a major guide for SAREX and ARISS;” NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL (SK), the first astronaut to use ham radio from space, and the late Pam Mountjoy of NASA Education, “who had the vision to develop the ARISS working group as a single amateur radio focus into the space agencies.”
ARISS-USA said it aims to continue earning high regard from all of its partners and sponsors.
SOURCE:ARRL
Recent Posts
The history of communicating with submarines underwater
“Nestled deep in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Northwest Wisconsin is the small town of Clam Lake. Clam Lake is best known for the... Read more
Venus Technologies SW-3B QRP CW Transceiver Review
Looking at the Venus Technologies SW-3B QRP CW Transceiver for 20/30/40 meters. Dimensions: 104*71*25mm (excluding the protruding part such as kn... Read more
Stellar x2 vs RE20 vs RE27ND Microphone Review
“We compare the Stellar x2 vs RE27 vs RE20 from Electrovoice. I was amazed with this Microphone and as soon as the new Mixer arrives, we’l... Read more
Inflatable Satellite Antenna
Inflatable Satellite Antenna GATR 2.4m Inflatable Ku & C Band Satellite Antenna VSAT Satcom Deployable Up for auction is an GATR 2.4m inflatable a... Read more
Stay away from cheap coax
A viewer asks about some inexpensive coax they found online. Is it any good? We talk about that and why you may want to stay away from cable that has... Read more
XIEGU G106 – First Look at this New HF Transceiver
XIEGU G106 Xiegu keep themselves pretty busy developing cost effective QRP transceivers. This new model is a replacement for the G1M. Peter G3OJV gets... Read more
Battery Powered Automatic Antenna Tuner, 100 Watt Max, Portable Ham Radio Tuner Review/Demo
“Here is a small $100 portable battery powered ham radio antenna tuner, which deserves a review. I have it connected to my Icom IC-705 but you c... Read more
K4BEN, announces the official beta of his Remote Radio Service
K4BEN, announces the official beta of his Remote Radio Service, DXRemote.net. It is a very simple concept: his enterprise-class, redundant n... Read more
THE NEW HEIL HAM RADIO!
“First, we would like to thank you for your continued support of our company and products. As Heil Sound Communications continues to grow we wan... Read more
Introducing SDRconnect – SDRplay Hamvention 2022 demo
This video shows the demo we are showing this weekend (May 20-22) at Hamvention in Dayton, Ohio. This demonstrates the core underlying technology behi... Read more
New at ICOM Hamvention 2022!
ICOM Hamvention 2022! Take your contesting experience to the next level with the latest LDMOS power device with features supporting a SO2R operation i... Read more
AMSAT-UK announce the 2022 International Space Colloquium
AMSAT-UK is very happy to announce the 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will be held as part of the RSGB Convention on October 8-9 at the... Read more
ICOM IC705 firmware 1.27 has just been released
Download Type Firmware Model name IC-705 Version Version 1.27 Update 2022/05/20 Major changes Changes from Version 1.26Improved to enable forcing an A... Read more
EVOLUTION PL-259 CONNECTORS
In this video I show you how to install the best PL-259 connector in the world! The Messi & Paoloni Evolution PL-259 Connector for Messi & Pao... Read more
7 Things When Building Your Ham Radio Shack
“I have installed two major ham shack builds over the years. One was a DISASTER! This is what I learned when designing my new ham radio shack.... Read more
ACOM 2020S | Solid-State 1.8-54 MHz Linear Amplifier
ACOM 2020S | Solid-State 1.8-54 MHz Linear Amplifier Easy to operateThe overall operation of ACOM 2020S is extremely simplified: the touch screen menu... Read more
MKU PA 23CM-1200W A – Power Amplifier
High power linear amplifier for the 23 cm Amateur Radio band Our high-performance amplifier for the 23 cm amateur radio band achieves great performanc... Read more
You are using the WRONG toroid for an EFHW Antenna, Maybe!
Did you know, not all Toroids are created the same? They may look the same, but there is one big difference! UPDATE: I’m sorry, in the video I w... Read more
7 BAND HF COBWEB ANTENNA – 1 KW
COBWEB ANTENNA Multiband cobweb antenna works on 7 HF bands and up to 1000w. Bands are 14,18,21,24,28,50,70 MHz Built and modified by me for my friend... Read more
S.P.E Expert has been selected as the exclusive amplifier for the Bouvet DXpedition
This week we rcvd 4 x S.P.E amplifiers in Oslo. All amplifiers have been fully serviced for free at the factory in Italy, and some minorcomponents hav... Read more