Since 1994, the Academy’s Amateur Radio Station has been the scene of over 50 telebridges, which are contacts via ‘ham’ radio between vehicles in space and people on Earth. Previously, these radio contacts were made with the Space Shuttle, but are now connected to the International Space Station, as part of Amateur Radio International Space Station (ARISS), an international program.

The Academy’s radio site, one of four ground stations around the world, is unique because it is the only High School in the world that is a designated NASA station for telebridge contacts. Members of the Academy’s Radio Club, comprised of students in grades 7 to 12, conduct the contacts and learn hands-on, applied science and technology skills.

The Club’s most memorable contact was with Eileen Collins, the first female Space Shuttle commander, in July 1999.