04/20/2026
The University of Pittsburgh's Panther Amateur Radio Club[1] (PARC) had a unique
opportunity last week...helping NASA track Artemis II's Orion spacecraft on its
mission to the moon and back!
Faculty advisor Juan Manfredi, NAOB, said the club responded to a request from
NASA to submit a proposal. "We submitted our proposal in September 2025 and were
notified in November that our proposal was accepted," said Manfredi. "But the
real challenge was just beginning and we needed to gather the equipment, test
it, and make sure we could make contact."
For their part, the club's members needed to find and track a carrier signal
from the spacecraft. Usually, a 9-meter dish antenna would be needed, but with
help from the university's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
(ECE), they were able to purchase a 1.2-meter dish and a software-defined radio
(SDR).
Manfredi said there were two final challenges. "Because of our location, we
needed to be on the roof of our building between 4 and 6 AM every day. And,
because we are located in the Northern Hemisphere, we only had about a 20-degree
window to acquire the signal."
In all, five club members took turns and were able to acquire the spacecraft
signal on the second and fourth days of the mission. The information was
recorded and is still being analyzed.
For the club members, what was their reaction to this opportunity? "Fantastic!"
said Manfredi. "Twenty years from now, they may not remember who taught them
calculus but will remember cold nights and mornings at 4:00 AM on the roof
tracking a spacecraft."
The PARC is 111 years old and received its first experimental license, 8YI, in
1915. It is an ARRL Affiliated Club.
[1] https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zNjAzOTkzJnA9MSZ1PTUyNTgxODI4NCZsaT00M
jUwMDYxMg/index.html
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