SB SPACE @ ARL $ARLS008
ARLS008 STS-79 update

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Space Bulletin 008  ARLS008
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington, CT  July 24, 1996
To all radio amateurs

SB SPACE ARL ARLS008
ARLS008 STS-79 update

If you missed out on a chance to talk to the space shuttle during
the recently completed SAREX mission, the next shuttle flight,
STS-79, has been rescheduled for September 15 for a nine-day
mission. This, the fourth Mir docking mission, will use SAREX
configuration ''M,'' which is FM voice, using the Shuttle-Mir
2-meter radio. Three schools--two in the US and one in England--have
been confirmed for SAREX QSOs during STS-79. They are: Andover
Middle School in Andover, Kansas, Immaculate Conception Elementary
School in Celina, Ohio, and The Royal School for Girls in Surrey,
England.

Three hams will be aboard space shuttle Atlantis for STS-79. Jay
Apt, N5QWL, a mission specialist, has flown on three previous
shuttle missions and used Amateur Radio on each flight. Carl Walz,
KC5TIE, participated in SAREX from Columbia during STS-65 in July
1994, before earning his ham ticket. Flying his fifth shuttle
mission is John Blaha, KC5TZQ, a mission specialist.  During STS-79,
Blaha will switch places with astronaut Shannon Lucid, and remain
with the Mir space station for 5 months. Lucid has been aboard Mir
since March 1996. Other STS-79 crew members include Commander
William Readdy, Pilot Terrence Wilcutt and Mission Specialist Thomas
Akers.

Shuttle mission STS-78 with the shuttle Columbia made history as it
broke previous records for mission duration, spending close to 17
days in space before returning to Earth July 7. The flight's SAREX
payload also was a huge success. The astronauts made all 11
scheduled SAREX contacts with school groups in the US, Australia,
France and Canada, plus many unscheduled SAREX QSOs.
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