An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, Astoria, OR on 03 Sept. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 18:21 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and KF7TCG. The contact should be audible over the west coast of the U.S. and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.
Thomas Jefferson was a scientist and a pioneer in many fields of study including biology, geography, meteorology, and ethnology. Since at least 1793 he had been planning for an exploration of the largest remaining unexplored land on earth: the American West. This resulted in the four pages of detailed instructions that he gave to Meriwether Lewis during their 1801-03 planning for the voyage of the Corps of Discovery. The resulting 1804-06 U.S. Army expedition to explore along the Missouri and Columbia Rivers was led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The 33 diverse members of the Corps spent the winter of 1805-06 at a campsite they built just a few miles from the mouth of the Columbia River and named after the local Clatsop Indians. At Fort Clatsop, the captains planned for the return journey to the United States and worked on writing scientific descriptions of the plants and animals they'd encountered that were new to science (a total of 178 species of plants and 122 animals by the end of the trip). Like President Thomas Jefferson and Captain Meriwether Lewis, today's astronauts have a curiosity for exploring beyond known frontiers.
Some local students who have participated in various education programs at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park and live in surrounding Clatsop County have been learning about the International Space Station (ISS) and are hoping to have a brief radio conversation with an ISS astronaut. All of these students live in Clatsop County and are familiar with the park through field trips, park summer camps, family visits, or education programs with rangers visiting their classrooms. The park connected with these students through four relationships:
1. The Northwest Regional Educational Service District and the Astoria School District offer a migrant summer school to serve students who have moved within the last three years for their parent's work. Several of these students participated in summer camps that the park offered and they were excited about the opportunity to learn about the International Space Station and talk with an astronaut.
2. Three small local Girl Scout Troops (#10025, #10026, #10086) were interested in this opportunity as they have been focusing on the three keys to Girl Scouting which are Discovering, Connecting, and Taking Action. The girls and their leaders were happy to incorporate this ARISS opportunity into their projects.
3. The Fort Clatsop District of Boy Scouts includes local troop #509 and #542. Since Scouting is about character development and having confidence in yourself to Be Prepared, the ARISS program is a good challenge for these youngsters. Their district is named in honor of the 1805-06 winter encampment of the 33 people of the Lewis and Clark Expedition .
4. Three of the youth recruited for this special program are children or grandchildren of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park rangers and were excited to learn that an astronaut radio conversation would be happening in their park.
Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:
1. To prepare for his journey, Captain Meriwether Lewis was tutored by
experts in medicine, navigation, astronomy, mathematics, botany, and
paleontology. What was the hardest part of your training?
2. The Corps of Discovery enjoyed fiddle music, do you listen to music in
space? If so, what kind?
3. How different does your body feel in microgravity and how long does it
take to adjust after arrival in the space station?
4. Lewis and Clark failed to find a Northwest Passage. Have any of your
experiments failed or not gone like you wanted?
5. While wintering at Fort Clatsop, the Corps of Discovery made buckskin
clothes as their uniforms wore out. How many outfits of clothing do you
have with you, and what kind of material are they made from?
6. Why do you like communicating with kids?
7. Meriwether Lewis treasured an ermine scarf he received from a Shoshone
chief. Do you have a souvenir from space? If so, what is it?
8. Do you create art from the views from the space station?
9. When is your next spacewalk? What is your favorite thing when you are
outside the space station?
10. Lewis brought his dog Seaman with him on the expedition. Are there any
research animals on the space station now? If so, what are they?
11. Although most members of the Corps of Discovery were single, York and
John Shields had families at home. Do you miss your family, and how do
you communicate with them?
12. Do you guys keep journal like Lewis and Clark did?
13. If a microorganism changed genetically on the International Space
Station would it be considered a space alien?
14. Were you in a scouting program as a child? If so, did it affect your
desire to work in space?
15. Lewis and Clark played backgammon. What games do you play?
16. When Sacagawea became sick, Lewis treated her. If you get hurt or sick,
who treats you?
17. What are your space suits made of, and can they catch on fire?
18. How do you protect your eyes when the space station is facing the sun?
19. Are you doing any experiments with animals adapting to microgravity?
20. What does a shooting star or a meteor shower look like from space?
PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES:
Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS).
To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status
Next planned event(s):
1. Lawrence Public Library, Lawrence KS, direct via KCØNFL
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Takuya Onishi KF5LKS
Contact is a go for: Fri Sept 9, 2016 16:25 UTC
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 Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or informal education venues. With the help of experienced amateur radio volunteers, ISS crews speak directly with large audiences in a variety of public forums. Before and during these radio contacts, students, teachers, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org, www.amsat.org, and www.arrl.org.
Thank you & 73,
David - AA4KN
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