What was SAREX? Hint: 1983

The SAREX program (initially Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment and later called Space Amateur Radio Experiment) was started in 1983. On November 28, 1983, Owen Garriott (W5LFL) became the first licensed ham in space. He used a handheld 2-meter radio to talk to his mother, senator Barry Goldwater, King Hussein of Jordan (JY1), and many others.  He made around 300 calls and convinced NASA to initiate the SAREX Program It was used to get school children interested in space and the STEM disciplines. In 1985 Anthony England (W0ORE) made 130 contacts and sent 10 slow scan images from the Challenger filght STS-51F. After these pioneering efforts, amateur radio became a regular fixture on shuttle flights and later on on the International Space Station. On some flights the entire crew were licensed amateur radio operators. After about 25 flights, the program evolved into the ARISS around 1996. There was a couple of years of overlap between the programs. ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) remains very popular to this day. Astronauts and Cosmonauts on the station can make contacts during their off time and a lot of Earthbound amateurs take advantage of the program. There are even schools that set up schedules so that their students can have the opportunity to contact the space station.