02.12.2008

JLG Reaches 350km

A JLG 600AJ articulating boom has helped children from St. Thomas Catholic Primary School in the inner Brisbane suburb of Camp Hill, Australia, achieve an amateur radio link up with an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS).

The amateur radio antenna was mounted to the fully extended booms 63ft/19.4m high top guardrail in order to provide a clear signal as it tracked the Space Station as it circled the earth at 27,000 kph, some 350 kilometres above the earth,
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Up goes the home made Antenna

School principal David Cashman received confirmation from NASA’s education division over a year ago that the small school had been selected to take part in a live link. The programme has been running since 1996, but less than 20 schools in Australia have had the opportunity to take part.

According to NASA, with the crew of the ISS working in a very isolated environment, the contact with young children back on earth through schools like St. Thomas’ helps boost their morale.

The school’s parents and teachers faced the challenge of rigging up the radio equipment to receive the signal from the space craft. A complicating factor was the need for the school and church grounds to be looking their best at the time of the space radio hook-up, which happened to coincide with a planned visit by prime minister Kevin Rudd for the church’s 50th anniversary.

The erection of temporary scaffolding was ruled unsuitable, so JLG’s Brisbane branch came to the rescue with offer of the 600AJ. With its ‘up and over’ capability, the boom was able to be positioned out of sight behind one of the school buildings, while elevating the sending and receiving antenna so that it functioned as required.
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Up in the air and receiving signals

Positioning the antenna high enough to ensure a clear line to the ISS throughout the link-up with the students was essential for the long distance question and answer session to be successful.

The students vied for the opportunity to put a question directly to United States Air Force Colonel Mike Fincke, expedition commander aboard the ISS. In the end 20 children were able to step up to the microphone and ask a question before the Space Station passed out of range.
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Pupil Amelia Burke talks with astronaut Mike Fincke aboard the International Space Station.

Aside from organising the radio link the school staged lunchtime demonstrations to teach the children about amateur radio, ran test connections with weather satellites orbiting the earth, mounted displays and staged a space themed art contest and a weekly space trivia quiz.