ARISS News Release                                                                                                    No.23-43

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

aa4kn@amsat.org

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at

Augusta Preparatory Day School, Augusta, Georgia, USA

 

August 28, 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 the Augusta Preparatory Day School located in Augusta, Georgia.  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.

 

Augusta Preparatory Day School (Augusta Prep) is a non-sectarian independent school located near the Georgia-South Carolina border for students in grades 2 through 12. Hosting this ARISS contact prompted the school to develop numerous cross-curricular classes that include numerous radio and space-related activities (e.g. Future Engineers TechRise Weather Balloon Challenge). A team of middle- and upper-school students are also developing a research proposal for the CubeSat Launch Initiative, with ongoing support from an engineer and a researcher from the Savannah River National Laboratory. The school has also hosted Family Astronomy Night events employing the school’s four telescopes and inviting families to bring their own.

Members of the Amateur Radio Club of Columbia County (ARCCC) are supporting Augusta Prep with this ARISS contact and the school's space and radio-related classes/projects (high-altitude balloon launches, student antenna building, and hidden transmitter or "Fox hunts."). ARCCC hosted Youth Technician Licensing Classes in 2022 and their first VE testing session with future classes planned. Students, as part of their STEM class, are building a ham radio ground station and the AMSAT CubeSat simulator.

 

This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of Astronaut Steve Bowen, amateur radio call sign KI5BKB. 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 relay ground station.

 

The amateur radio ground station for this contact is in Augusta, GA. Amateur radio operators using call sign K4RGK, will operate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

 

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for August 31, 2023 at 9:51:28 am EDT (GA) (13:51:28 UTC, 8:51 am CDT, 7:51 am MDT, 6:51 am PDT).

 

The public is invited to watch the live stream at: https://www.facebook.com/augustaprep

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As time allows, students will ask these questions:

1. Did your training give you an accurate idea of what the real experience of being in space is like, or were there major surprises?

2. What do you think are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about space?

3. When was the last time you used calculus on the station?

4. What are the emotional/mental impacts of being in space for such a long period of time?

5. Has there ever been a moment when the ISS had a technological error or a shortage of supplies? If so, how did you and the crew solve it?

6. What do you think is the most beneficial project you have done as an astronaut?

7. What was your most prominent hesitation when coming on the International Space Station, and how did you overcome that?

8. How do you keep involved and stay in touch with family and friends?

9. What is the most amazing thing you have seen?

10. What personal and mission-driven goals do you hope to achieve?

11. Can you speak to the impact of space debris on future space missions?

12. How is leisure time scheduled and what are you able to do?

13. What do you do if someone has a medical issue on the ISS?

14. What is your most interesting story about space?

15. What personal items can you bring into space, and are there any size and weight limitations?

16. An essential part of your work pertains to communication and video work. What kind of audio-visual training factors into your training?

17. What are your thoughts about space and have you always been interested in space?

18. How does being in outer space affect the celebration of holidays?

19. How did you feel the first time you left the atmosphere?

20. Is there a way to have food or supplies delivered 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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