The International Space Station starts sending pictures over amateur radio today. ARISS lists its Expedition 75 Series 34 slow-scan television event, themed “ARISS Hardware,” as beginning Thursday, October 22 at 15:30 UTC and concluding Sunday, October 25 at 18:00 UTC. The images will be transmitted at 437.55 MHz, plus or minus Doppler shift, in Robot 36 mode, with each transmission lasting 36 seconds followed by a two-minute gap. AMSAT-UK adds that the transmissions come from the amateur station in the ISS Service Module under the callsign RS0ISS. Almost any 70-centimeter receiver and a free SSTV decoder program can pull the pictures in during a good overhead pass, and decoded images can be submitted to the ARISS SSTV gallery for an event certificate.
Space weather may add some texture to the bands while you listen. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, in its forecast issued at 0030 UTC today, reported that the greatest observed Kp index over the past 24 hours reached 5, a G1 minor geomagnetic storm, and that the greatest expected Kp for October 22 through 24 is 4.67, also G1, early today from a coronal hole high-speed stream. The center's geophysical alert message put the solar flux at 115 and the planetary A-index at 19 for October 21. No radio blackouts were observed in the past 24 hours, and forecasters expect low solar activity through October 24, with a 20 percent chance of R1 to R2 blackouts today.
Alaska's HAARP facility is on the air again today in the third day of its October 20 to 24 research campaign. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute says transmissions run daily from 0530 to 0930 UTC, somewhere between 2.8 and 10 MHz depending on real-time ionospheric and geomagnetic conditions, in support of the INFUSE-II and DUST-III sounding rocket missions launching from Poker Flat Research Range north of Fairbanks. INFUSE-II will test a new ultraviolet imager for future space telescopes, while DUST-III carries a miniature laboratory to study how grains of space dust form and grow. There are no specific data collection requests, but HAARP welcomes reception reports through its online form.
Two deadlines land today. Comments on the FCC's RF exposure issues are due October 22, following yesterday's October 21 deadline for the parallel Department of Health and Human Services inquiry; ARRL, which is tracking both proceedings, stresses that neither inquiry changes the current RF exposure rules that apply to radio amateurs. Today is also the final day of the 21st annual ARRL Online Auction, which has offered more than 200 items since October 16 to benefit ARRL education programs. Meanwhile, the ARRL School Club Roundup is in its final stretch, running from 1300 UTC Monday to 2359 UTC Friday, October 23, so give the school stations a call when you hear them.
The weekend belongs to the CQ World Wide DX Contest, SSB. It runs from 0000 UTC Saturday, October 24 to 2359 UTC Sunday, October 25 on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meters, with an exchange of RS report plus CQ zone. Remember the new log deadline: entries are due within 48 hours, no later than 2359 UTC on Tuesday, October 27. DXers not chasing the contest will find S9R still active from Sao Tome and Principe through October 31 — DX World reported the team near 18,000 contacts with FT8, SSB and CW all in use — and V63SC beginning today from Micronesia, October 22 to 26, on 80 through 2 meters using FT8 and SSB.