ARISS News Release No.23-62
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at
Orangeburg Christian Academy, Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA
December 2, 2023—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and students at Orangeburg Christian Academy in Orangeburg, SC. ARISS conducts 60-80 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.
Orangeburg Christian Academy (OCA) is a small private school of about 250 students, ranging from grades K to 12th. Students learn about space travel at various grade levels and learn about electronics and radio communication in high school. OCA will use the ARISS radio contact to strengthen and reinforce the areas of their STEM curriculum while also demonstrating the use of radio technology. Topics include space science, astronomy, science on the ISS, and electronics and amateur radio. Students have previously listened to a ARISS contacts with other schools via ham radio. Members of the Edisto Amateur Radio Society are supporting OCA for this ARISS contact.
This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, amateur radio call sign KI5WSL. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the ground station.
The amateur radio ground station for this contact is in Orangeburg, SC. Amateur radio operators using call sign N7GZT, will operate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection.
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for December 5, 2023 at 10:19:30 am EST (SC, USA) (15:19:30 UTC, 9:19 am CST, 8:19 am MST, 7:19 am PST).
The public is invited to watch the live stream at: https://www.facebook.com/orangeburgchristianacademy
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As time allows, students will ask these questions:
1. How do you talk to your family from space?
2. How do you stay safe?
3. What do you drink in space?
4. What does it feel like to be in space?
5. Does food taste and smell different?
6. Can you see eclipses from space?
7. Can you go outside the ISS?
8. What is the hardest training you have to do?
9. What was it like to experience zero gravity for the first time?
10. What do you do if someone has a serious medical emergency?
11. Are astronauts able to shower?
12. Do you ever get homesick?
13. Do you ever have to make repairs?
14. Why did you choose to become an astronaut?
15. What do astronauts do in their free time?
16. What happens if someone cries in space?
17. Are there any animals on the ISS?
18. How do you get a haircut?
19. Did you bring a phone to the space station?
20. What does the sunset look like from space?
About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN) and the ISS National Lab—Space Station Explorers. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org
Media Contact:
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
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