NEWS

Belgian Haas Technical Education Centre Students
Build Radio Antenna to Contact Astronaut

On September 22nd, 2009, students at VTI St Lucas Haas Technical Education Centre (HTEC) in Oudenaarde, Belgium, made radio contact with Astronaut and compatriot Frank De Winne as he passed overhead aboard the International Space Station (ISS). At the time, De Winne’s temporary home was 350km above the Earth’s atmosphere and travelling at an astonishing 28,000km/h. The students had just 9 1/2 minutes to make contact with the ISS; a feat they achieved by designing a computer-controlled tracking-antenna (named the ISS-TRACKER) that they build using their Haas CNC machine tools.

“We have been waiting for this moment and working towards it for 4 years," said Patriek De Temmerman, electronics and telecommunication teacher at VTI St Lucas and leader of the VTISL – ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) project.  “When we actually made contact with the ISS, it was thrilling! Many people had to suppress their cheers as we had so little time to speak with Astronaut De Winne.”

Haas Automation Europe HTEC coordinator Mr. Bert Maes was also present to witness the occasion and to join in the celebration. “Haas Europe is very proud to have been part of such an inspiring and unique project, and to have VTI St. Lucas as part of the HTEC program,” said Mr. Maes. “Everyone at the school has worked so hard to make it a success and the students can be justifiably proud of what they have achieved.”

The antenna followed the ISS from the northern coast of Morocco, over Belgium and all the way to Ukraine: a distance of 4000 km travelled in less than 10 minutes! “It worked brilliantly,” said Mr. De Temmerman.

To build the antenna, the 15-19 year-old Ham radio enthusiasts - all of whom are studying electrical systems and electronics - enlisted the help of their mechanical engineering colleagues who used Esprit CAM software and the Haas CNC machine tools in the VTI St Lucas Haas Technical Education Centre (HTEC) to make various structural components for the 6-meter long assembly.

“Unlike other schools we didn’t use a standard satellite telephone,” said VTI St. Lucas School Principal, Stefaan De Langhe. “Our students designed and created their own hardware and software. Young people from all grades and departments helped with research and development for the project. It was a great collaboration and a great result.”

The VTI St. Lucas HTEC was opened in 2008 and is supported by the Haas Factory Outlet (HFO) for Belgium and Luxembourg – A division of S.A van Waasdijk n.v.  “VTI St. Lucas is the kind of school that benefits from being part of the HTEC program,” said Mr. Maes. “It gets its students involved in real, hands-on projects and demonstrates what young engineers can achieve with the right support and encouragement.”

The VTI St. Lucas HTEC facility is supported by several, important HTEC Industry Partners, including: KELLER, Esprit, Renishaw, Sandvik Coromant, Schunk.and Cimcool. Esprit, in particular, helped the VTI St. Lucas students with practical support during the design and manufacture of antenna components.