Shuttleworth Continues Busy Week in Space

South African Mark Shuttleworth. [NASA Photo]

NEWINGTON, CT, May 2, 2002--It's been a busy week on the radio and in the laboratory for South African Mark Shuttleworth, who paid $20 million to have the time of his life in space and conduct a little research. Shuttleworth now has completed three Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contacts and has one more on his schedule before he returns to Earth this weekend. He also thrilled several US amateurs by showing up unannounced on 2 meters during a North American pass May 1.

On May 2, Shuttleworth fielded eight questions from students gathered in Gauteng, South Africa--between Pretoria and Johannesburg. In response to one question, Shuttleworth spoke at some length about his research projects, which include four experiments from South Africa and one from Russia. He described one experiment from the University of Stellenbosch as especially challenging and ambitious.

"No one's ever done anything like it in space before," he said. The experiment involves carrying sheep and mice embryos and stem cells into space to see how they react to the weightless environment. "We don't know what to expect," Shuttleworth said. "We don't know how they will develop." Upon his return, the embryos and stem cells will be compared to identical embryos and stem cells left on Earth.

Other research involves attempts to crystallize HIV and human immune system proteins to study their structure and provide insights into developing drugs to treat AIDS, a major health problem on the African continent. Shuttleworth said he also was studying muscle degradation and at the ways humans burn energy in space. In answer to a later question, Shuttleworth noted that the weightless environment makes possible some physiological and physical research that cannot be done within the influence of Earth's gravity.

Shuttleworth explained to another student that the ISS experiences 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets every day, "and I can tell you that every one of them is absolutely beautiful."

Shuttleworth (right) and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, IZ6ERU. [NASA Photo]

Accommodations aboard the ISS are "not too bad" and "quite comfortable," according to Shuttleworth. "The International Space Station is all about learning how to make space suitable for human exploration, and we still have a very long way to go," he said. Nonetheless, he added, the food's good, the view fabulous, and he can stay in touch with Earth.

A native of South Africa, Shuttleworth, 28, now lives in London. He and his two crewmates--Russian cosmonaut and ISS veteran Yuri Gidzenko and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, IZ6ERU, blasted off April 25 from Russia's Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Soyuz "taxi mission."

In South Africa, where former president Nelson Mandela has dubbed Shuttleworth an "afronaut," a First African In Space (FAIS) campaign being promoted by Shuttleworth's marketing firm included a student competition to determine which youngsters would get to ask questions during the ARISS contacts. Shuttleworth also has sponsored an educational campaign in the country. Audio of the Gauteng QSO was broadcast throughout South Africa.

Listen to Mark Shuttleworth aboard the ISS speak with students in Gauteng, South Africa [10:18] ARRL thanks WorldCom for making this audio clip available.

All of Shuttleworth's ARISS contacts have been via WorldCom teleconferencing hookups using Amateur Radio Earth stations in Australia, South Africa and the US. ARISS veteran Tony Hutchison, VK5ZAI, in Australia handled Earth-station duties for the May 2 contact.

Shuttleworth will go for his final ARISS school QSO May 3 with students in the Western Cape region. Vittorio is scheduled to attempt a direct 2-meter ARISS contact with a school in Cervignano del Friuli, Italy on May 4.

ARISS is an international project with US participation by the ARRL, AMSAT and NASA. More information is available on the ARISS Web site.

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