Oakwood Students Monitoring an ARISS Contact

On October 18, 2024, members of the NyanSat team listened in on a radio communication between NASA and a school in Oregon as part of NASA’s ARISS (Amateur Radio on the ISS) program. The team was able to receive signals from the International Space Station (ISS) using a handheld antenna and receiver. This was possible because the ISS’s position in the sky was above the horizon as seen by Oakwood, which meant that the ISS was high enough in the sky that Earth was not obstructing our view of it. This feat was achieved by the team and the team alone; the team was given a set of instructions to follow by their instructor and, with no help during the communication, managed to succeed. In successfully listening in on the ARISS contact, the team learned valuable skills that will be important for the future operation of NyanSat. For example, since NyanSat will have to be controlled via radio, this opportunity allowed the team to gain experience operating radio equipment that is similar to the equipment used to operate the satellite. It also developed the team’s knowledge of radio operations as a whole. Finally, it is especially important because when Oakwood has its ARISS contact in the spring of 2025, these members will understand what needs to be done to ensure smooth communication between Oakwood and the ISS.

The carefully followed procedure required immense cooperation to complete the numerous simultaneous tasks. For example, holding the antenna was just a small part of it. Someone had to make sure the antenna was pointed in the correct direction. Then, someone had to ensure the receiver listened to the right radio frequency. This was especially important since the optimal radio frequency for listening changed as the ISS moved across the sky due to the Doppler effect, which is a phenomenon that causes a change in the frequency of radio waves to a moving observer relative to the source of the wave. It was also important to know what time the contact started and ended so that the team could listen in on as much of the contact as possible. Finally, someone was collecting valuable media through pictures and videos. Overall, this exciting experience will prove to be valuable in the coming months!