AMSAT President Barry Baines, WD4ASW has accepted the resignation of Mark Hammond, N8MH as VP-Educational Relations and appointed E. Michael McCardel, KC8YLD as his replacement.
Mark Hammond, N8MH of Coats, NC has served as VP-Educational Relations since December 2011. During his tenure, Mark established a team focused on educational issues and supporting the educational objectives of AMSAT. A highlight for the team was the ARISS contact conducted during the 2012 Pacificon Convention in October 2012 in Santa Clara, CA that provided an opportunity for a group of selected young people from the Santa Clara area to ask questions directly to an astronaut on board the International Space Station with an audience of the participant’s family members and amateur radio operators in attendance. Managing a school contact during an ARRL Convention provided a unique opportunity to highlight ARISS before a much wider audience that appreciated both the technical details of communications technology and the wonder of students speaking to an astronaut. Members of Mark’s Education Team, including Joe Spier, K6WAO, Dale Hunzeker, KJ6VUC and E.Mike were all involved in the management of the ARISS contact at Pacificon.
