{"id":379,"date":"2016-05-02T08:42:41","date_gmt":"2016-05-02T12:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/?p=379"},"modified":"2016-05-02T10:41:22","modified_gmt":"2016-05-02T14:41:22","slug":"all-the-best-and-73s-a-record-of-amateur-radio-aboard-sts-45-preserved-within-the-david-c-leestma-papers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/2016\/05\/02\/all-the-best-and-73s-a-record-of-amateur-radio-aboard-sts-45-preserved-within-the-david-c-leestma-papers\/","title":{"rendered":"All the Best and 73s!: A Record of Amateur Radio Aboard STS-45 Preserved within the David C. Leestma Papers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"STS-45<\/a>

This is the QSL card that NASA sent out to HAM radio operators who made a contact with the Space Shuttle Atlantis.<\/p><\/div>\n

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) today perform a number of objectives ranging from scientific experiments, station maintenance, to studies on the physiology of the human body in micro-gravity environments. \u00a0With a rigorous schedule of experiments, little time each day is reserved for recreation. That said, recently the astronauts aboard the ISS viewed the\u00a0newly\u00a0released science fiction film, The Martian<\/em>.\u00a0 This widely publicized event may not seem as bewildering as one would think as lately, astronauts on the ISS have been able to stay in constant contact with the public\u00a0on Earth via social media. \u00a0Astronaut Scott Kelly recently completed a year-long mission aboard the ISS as part of a study of the effects of long duration space flight on the human body. \u00a0He regularly used Twitter.com to post images and updates to his more than 869,000 (Twitter<\/a>) followers. Perhaps the first to garner the social media public’s attention was\u00a0Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield who made headlines in 2013 when he posted pictures to his Twitter page and uploaded videos to the Canadian Space Agency\u2019s YouTube Channel, documenting the day-to-day routine of the astronauts (YouTube<\/a>). \u00a0Public involvement and participation was enormous during this time, with Hadfield alone getting over millions of views on his posts, especially with his\u00a0YouTube video covering David Bowie\u2019s hit song, \u201cSpace Oddity,\u201d while floating in the ISS.\u00a0 This video alone had six million views within days of its upload and now has over thirty million views (YouTube<\/a>). \u00a0The social media public is now actively involved with astronauts. Yet, the rather direct public interaction and exchanges with spacefarers\u00a0155 miles above the Earth is not really new.\u00a0 In fact, direct public interaction with astronauts took place years prior to the existence of Twitter and YouTube.\u00a0 People communicated with astronauts during space flights through the use of Amateur Radio.<\/p>\n

\"HAM<\/a>

This QSL card comes from Indiana and features the Space Shuttle. 4\/1\/1992<\/p><\/div>\n

Amateur Radio, or HAM\u00a0radio is a way for people with proper training to legally operate powerful radios to communicate with other operators. \u00a0The term HAM is not an acronym, but instead it is\u00a0a derogatory\u00a0term that commercial radio operators gave to amateurs in the early 20th century when they were frustrated with amateur radio operators\u00a0clogging the airwaves<\/a>. \u00a0A HAM radio is different than a typical AM\/FM radio because HAM radios allow for two-way communication either through\u00a0voice or Morse code.\u00a0 Amateur Radio operators, colloquially referred to as HAMs, use their radios to speak to people all over the world through different radio frequencies.\u00a0 The different frequencies allow for varying lengths of physical distance between radios.\u00a0 A 2-meter frequency is best for talking around town while a 10-meter frequency is best for long distances. \u00a0This changes, however, if you increase the power of the radio. \u00a0A standard hand-held HAM radio operates around one to five watts power. \u00a0Increase the power to fifty watts, and the signal will travel much further. \u00a0The same radio frequencies used by HAM\u00a0radio operators\u00a0to talk to one another locally and around the globe were even used by NASA to stay in contact with astronauts in their spacecraft and on the surface of the Moon.<\/p>\n

\"HAM<\/a>

Here is an example of a QSL card. Pictured is a HAM radio operator and his radio shack, along with his feline friend. 4\/1\/1992<\/p><\/div>\n

After a two-way communication is made, called a QSO, both HAM radio operators will send each other a QSL card. The term QSL and QSO are not an acronyms, as they are taken from early maritime Morse code communications that used a system of “Q” codes to convey long messages<\/a>. \u00a0These “Q” codes were three characters long starting with the letter Q. \u00a0“Q” codes are no longer used, but the QSL and QSO codes have found a place within amateur radio as a way to describe\u00a0a two-way communication. \u00a0A QSL card, similar to a postcard, is a fun way to physically represent the contacts that a HAM has communicated with. \u00a0Amateur radio operators’ call signs are also not acronyms. \u00a0These are assigned to the operator after they pass a licensing test given by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). \u00a0Printed on the card is usually the operator\u2019s call sign, the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) of the communication, information about the radio used, their geographical location, and sometimes a picture of the operator sitting in front of their ‘radio shack,\u2019 (their HAM radio setup).\u00a0 The reverse side of the card is where one would find the technical details\u00a0of the contact, such as the operator’s name, their address, a short message, type of radio, antenna, or other radio specifications. \u00a0HAMs even use unique language when talking to one another.\u00a0 For example, saying, \u201c73\u201d is a friendly way to say goodbye and if a HAM says they are \u201cworkin\u2019 DX\u201d that means they are using their radios for worldwide contact. \u00a0These two colloquialisms emerged from Morse code, and similar\u00a0to the “Q” codes, have stuck with HAM radio. \u00a0(Click here<\/a> for a link to a glossary of HAM radio terms.) \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Husband<\/a>

This QSL card shows two call signs that of a\u00a0husband and wife team from Alaska. 3\/30\/1992<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Husband<\/a>

This is the reverse of the QSL card from Alaska. 3\/30\/1992<\/p><\/div>\n

During NASA\u2019s Space Shuttle program, astronauts used the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) to communicate with amateur radio operators on Earth.\u00a0 These contacts were short conversations usually just long enough to hear each other\u2019s call sign. \u00a0In most cases, the operator on the ground\u00a0would only hear the Shuttle and not be able to communicate with it. The length of these conversations depended on many different things, such as radio properties, geographical location, and the Shuttle\u2019s location in relation to the radio operator on Earth.\u00a0 The purpose of SAREX was to engage the public in space flight.\u00a0 NASA created the program so that students, children, and the general public could have the chance to talk with the astronauts without an intermediary. \u00a0For more information on SAREX, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"STS-45<\/a>

Crew of STS-45. (L-R Back Row: Byron K. Lichtenberg, Michael Foale, David C. Leestma, Kathryn D. Sullivan, Dirk Frimout. Front Row: Brian Duffy, Charles F. Bolden, Jr.) 6\/11\/1992 (Courtesy of NASA)<\/p><\/div>\n

HAM radios flew on twenty-five Space Shuttle missions total,\u00a0from 1983 until 1999<\/a>. \u00a0In 1992, four of the seven astronauts on STS-45 Atlantis\u00a0<\/em>were licensed HAMs. Kathy Sullivan (N5YVV), Brian Duffy (N5WQW), Dirk Frimout (ON1AFD), and David Leestma (N5WQC) operated the Space Shuttle radio and made roughly 1,804\u00a0contacts with people from thirty-one different countries, including three\u00a0contacts from Antarctica. \u00a0David Leestma recalls, “I just had a QSO\u00a0with a K1OIQ on Palmer’s Station Andrew’s Island, Antarctica…That was really a thrill to be able to get Antarctic[a] on the radio,” (David C. Leestma papers, Box 27, Folder 4). \u00a0Leestma used the term QSO, which is another “Q” code for a two-way communication. \u00a0The majority of these contacts, 1,067, were made with HAMs in the United States. \u00a0The country to make the second-most contacts was Belgium with 314 QSL cards, as STS-45 Atlantis\u00a0<\/em>was the first time a Belgian citizen, astronaut Dirk Frimout, was launched into space.<\/p>\n

\"QSL<\/a>

This is the only QSL card to come from Antarctica. 3\/30\/1992<\/p><\/div>\n

\"HAM<\/a>

This is one of the 314 QSL cards that came from Belgium during STS-45. 3\/29\/1992<\/p><\/div>\n

\"HAM<\/a>

This card comes from California and features an operator and his shack. 3\/29\/1992<\/p><\/div>\n

Below you will find two graphs, one detailing all of the QSL cards received by state and one detailing all of the QSL cards received by country,\u00a0as well as\u00a0an interactive world map with pin points located where a QSL card was sent to by the crew of STS-45 Atlantis<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Click on the map below to see if anyone from your hometown made contact with the Space Shuttle!<\/p>\n

\"United<\/a>

This graph shows the number of QSL cards received from each state.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"International<\/a>

This graph shows the number of QSL cards received by country.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"QSO<\/a>

Click on this image to view an interactive map of the QSL cards!<\/p><\/div>\n

All of the QSL cards pictured here come from the David C. Leestma Papers.\u00a0 This collection contains the personal papers of Astronaut David C. Leestma from his time as\u00a0a pilot in the Navy, a Space Shuttle astronaut, and his work in NASA\u2019s administration offices during the Mir and ISS programs.\u00a0 Also, included in this collection are Leestma\u2019s personal journals from 1981 to 2014. \u00a0While Leestma’s papers offers some great insight into the daily workings of an astronaut and a NASA administrator, his collection of QSL cards are eye-catching. \u00a0The cards offer a unique, visual look into the HAM radio tradition. \u00a0They also show a segment of national and international enthusiasm that existed for the space program during the 1990s. \u00a0HAM radio allowed for astronauts to be accessible to the entire world. \u00a0From Alaska to Antarctica, and thirty\u00a0other countries in between, HAM radio allowed for public participation in the space program long before astronaut Chris Hadfield released his music video from space on YouTube in 2013.<\/p>\n

References:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. http:\/\/spaceflight.nasa.gov\/station\/reference\/radio\/sarex.html<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. http:\/\/www.arrl.org\/what-is-ham-radio<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. http:\/\/www.arrl.org\/eavesdropping-on-apollo-11<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. http:\/\/www.arrl.org\/ham-radio-glossary<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. http:\/\/www.arrl.org\/ham-radio-history<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. http:\/\/spaceflight.nasa.gov\/station\/reference\/radio\/sarex.html<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Editor’s Note: Co-author Max Campbell is a second-year graduate student in the Purdue University Department of History. Co-author Hannah Vaughn is a senior at Purdue, majoring in History.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) today perform a number of objectives ranging from scientific experiments, station maintenance, to studies on the physiology of the human body in micro-gravity environments. \u00a0With a rigorous schedule of experiments, little time each day is reserved for recreation. That said, recently the astronauts aboard the ISS viewed the\u00a0newly\u00a0released […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[5929,5919],"tags":[5946,5959],"class_list":["post-379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-flight-and-space","category-from-our-collections","tag-space","tag-space-shuttle"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8vDd5-67","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379"}],"version-history":[{"count":67,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":541,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379\/revisions\/541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}