Amateur radio in space The astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL, SK

The American astronaut pioneered the use of amateur radio to establish contacts from space – Owen K. Garriott, W5LFL – died April 15 at his home in Huntsville, Alabama. He was 88 years old. The amateur radio activity of Garriott marked the official introduction of amateur radio in space, first under the name of SAREX – amateur radio experience of the shuttle, and later as ARISS – Amateur Radio on the International Space Station.

"Owen Garriott was a good friend and an amazing astronaut," said fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin. "I have a lot of sadness when I learn of her death today. God, Owen.

Garriott, originally from Oklahoma – electrical engineer – spent 2 months aboard Skylab space station in 1973 and 10 days on board Spacelab-1 in 1983 a space shuttle Columbia mission. It was during this last mission that Garriott delighted radio amateurs around the world by making the first contacts from space. Thousands of hams have been listening on FM at 2 meters, hoping to hear it or make contact. Garriott ended up occupying workstations around the world, including notables such as the late King Hussein, JY1 of Jordan, and the late US Senator Barry Goldwater, K7UGA. He also established the first CW contact from the space. Garriott called marting of space "a nice hobby".

"I managed to do it outside of work hours, and it's a pleasure to participate and talk to people who are as interested in space as the 100,000 hams on the ground seem to be," he said. -he declares. interview published in the February 1984 issue of QST. "So, it was just a pleasurable experience, especially the hammer blow, all around."

Although Garriott planned to switch to amateur radio during his 10 days in space, no special measures were taken aboard the spacecraft in terms of equipment, unlike the current situation of the International Space Station. Garriott simply used a portable transceiver with its antenna in the Spacelab-1 window. His first visit was on the West Coast.

"[A]s I approached the United States, I began to hear the stations trying to reach me, "he said. QST. "At my very first QC, many stations responded." His first contact was with Lance Collister, WA1JXN, in Montana.

ARISS ARRL's representative, Rosalie White, K1STO, met Garriott when he attended Hamvention, "both times, sitting next to him at the dinner banquet of Hamvention," she said. "Once when he was a laureate of the Award of Excellence, and once with him and [his son] Richard when Richard won the 2009 Award of Excellence. Owen was unpretentious, very smart, kind and at the forefront of the latest technologies. In 2002, Garriott shared the Hamvention Special Achievement Award with fellow amateur astronaut Tony England, W0ORE.

Richard Garriott, W5KWQ, was a private space traveler up to the ISS, flown by the Russian Federal Space Agency, and he also carried an amateur radio in space .