ARISS News Release                                                                                                    No.23-24

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

aa4kn@amsat.org

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at

Middlesboro School System, Middlesboro, Kentucky, USA

 

May 23, 2023—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an Axiom Mission (Ax-2) astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and students at the Middlesboro School System located in Middlesboro, KY.  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.

 

 

This will be a telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of Astronaut John Shoffner, amateur radio call sign KO4MJC. STEM advocate, business pioneer, and life-long space enthusiast, John Shoffner will serve as pilot for Axiom Space’s Ax-2 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on the SpaceX Dragon. Shoffner currently lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is honored to have this opportunity to not only achieve one of his greatest life’s dreams but also to use the Ax-2 mission to ignite a passion for STEM education in teachers and students worldwide to each pursue their ambitions. 

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 telebridge station.

 

The ARISS amateur radio ground station (telebridge station) for this contact is in Casale Monferrato, Italy. The amateur radio volunteer team at the station will use the callsign IK1SLD, to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

 

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for May 25, 2023 at 11:07 am EDT (KY) (15:07:12 UTC,10:07 am CDT, 9:07 am MDT, 8:07 am PDT).

 

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As time allows, students will ask these questions:

1. Can you describe your initial emotions during your entry into space and docking to the station?

2. How does your body adapt to microgravity and what will it be like readjusting to Earth’s gravity?

3. What types of experiments have you been[SM1] [SM2] [Ma3]  a part of while on board the space station?

4. Will you have any leisure time aboard the space station and if so, what types of things can you do?

5. Can you describe the suits you have to wear on the mission and how they help you during your mission?

6. What is your personal “why” for taking part in this mission?

7. What has it felt like being able to come from a small town and live out your dream of traveling to space?

8. What has it been like to sleep in space and how do you do it?

9. Can you describe the food and how you eat while in space?

10. What is your daily schedule and routine like?

11. What has been the most impactful thing you’ve seen or done so far?

12. How will your time aboard the space station help astronauts on future missions?

13. Can you describe the launch experience?

14. Do you have the ability to communicate with your family back on Earth? If so, how?

15. What advice would you give a student like me who is interested in becoming an astronaut and traveling to space?

 

About Axiom:

Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) will be Axiom Space’s second all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), marking another pivotal step toward Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station and successor to the ISS.  

 

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 Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN). 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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