Audio Clips from Ham Radio Contacts with MIR and the Space Shuttle

During 1995 I was in the Dominican Republic and got very interested in establishing direct ham radio contact with the MIR space station and the Space Shuttle. I was in a good location for this project - I was far enough away from the east coast to avoid the intense competition of thousands of like-minded radio amateurs.

I recorded all of the radio conversations.

Thanks to the help of my friend Tyler Dunn, I now have RealAudio versions of the clips. Just click on RealAudio for each of the clips.

Here they are: 

MIR calling N2CQR. Astronaut Norm Thagard calling N2CQR/HI8 (me!) RealAudio

Resupply ship! Astronaut Norm Thagard staying up late to meet a resupply ship. RealAudio

Breath Test! Thagard talks about one of his medical experiments.RealAudio

Talking to Jay Apt. Thagard talks to Astronaut Jay Apt (N5QWL) RealAudio

Lightning from Space. Thagard talks about watching lightning from orbit. RealAudio

Sleeping in Space. Thagard tells the kids about sleeping in zero G. RealAudio

Moving Modules. Thagard describes rearrangement of MIR's modules. RealAudio

GODSPEED! Thagard and N2CQR discuss "The Right Stuff" RealAudio

Good Night! Hear the MIR slip over the horizon as a contact with N2CQR/HI8 ends. RealAudio

Listening for the Cubans. Thagard talks of trying to contact hams in Cuba RealAudio

Thagard in Russian. Thagard speaking Russian (probably to Cuban hams) RealAudio

Cosmonauts in contact. Probably a Russian in contact with compatriot at JSC Houston. RealAudio

Hello Houston? (In Russian) Sounds like one of the Cosomonauts calling Houston. RealAudio

Space Shuttle Contact. Astronaut Don Thomas aboard STS-70. RealAudio

German on MIR. Tomas Reiter (DP0MIR) from the MIR RealAudio

I hope you've enjoyed the clips! Please send comments to my current e-mail address