* ISS HAM GEAR TRAINING *

=========================

The first International Space Station expedition crew and its backup crew

have received some initial training on the use of the initial US-provided

Amateur Radio gear to be installed as part of the Amateur Radio on the

International Space Station, or ARISS, effort.  The session was conducted

at Russia's Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center. 



As part of the ARISS training effort, NASA's Matt Bordelon, KC5BTL, is

preparing a consolidated schedule for training in the US and in Russia that

will include familiarization with equipment, packet theory and hands-on

training, using a hardware mockup, and simulation.  Training will focus on

general principles of ham radio as well as preparations to use ham radio,

equipment types and operating modes, and general packet module information

and software. 



Bordelon has held an initial training session with astronauts and cosmonauts

that provided exposure to the actual hardware.  Other training has included

the information required to obtain an US Amateur Radio license.  The first

ISS crew includes US astronaut Bill Shepherd, KD5GSL, and Russian Cosmonauts

Sergei Krikalev, U5MIR, and the recently licensed Yuri Gaidzenko, whose call

sign was not available.



Meanwhile, the International Space Station continues to operate in good

working order, and is now in its fifteenth month in orbit.



Flight controllers continue to manage electrical power through the batteries

inside the Zarya module, recharging four of the six on-board power plants.

Battery 1, which has experienced some problems, will be replaced by Shuttle

astronauts later this year on the next mission to ISS.



Space Shuttle and ISS managers discussed the option of flying a maintenance

mission to the Station prior to the upcoming launch of the Zvezda module.

At the request of the ISS program, shuttle managers approved an option of

scheduling the next shuttle mission to the ISS Station no earlier than

April 13, 20000 (prior to the Zvezda launch), to perform maintenance tasks

on the Zarya and Unity modules.



The Kurs automatic docking system was tested twice recently without problems

in an effort to verify that the system is ready to support the rendezvous

with the Zvezda service module this summer.  The Kurs system is the Russian

automatic docking system located inside Zarya used to rendezvous with the

service module for precise docking.



NASA managers also approved Shuttle mission STS-106 as the flight which will

follow the launch of the service module.  Seven crewmembers will spend a week

docked to the ISS, loading supplies in the new Zvezda module and activating

some of its systems.



The International Space Station is in an orbit of 240 by 226 statute miles.

Since the launch of Zarya in 1998, the ISS has completed more than

7,105 orbits.



Space Station viewing opportunities worldwide are available on the

Internet at:



        http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/