ARISS News Release                                                                                            No.24-24

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

aa4kn@amsat.org

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at

American International University, Salmiya, Kuwait

 

April 20, 2024—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 American International University located in Salmiya, Kuwait.  ARISS conducts 60-100 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.

 

American International University (AIU) is a private institution located in Saad Al Abdullah, Kuwait. AIU was founded and led by a team of American educators, with a predominantly Kuwaiti student body. AIU students in the ECE400 Communication Theory course have been preparing for the ARISS contact, learning about ham radio through study of theoretical concepts and real-world applications. AIU is also welcoming elementary and high school students from the American Baccalaureate School, K-12 institution in Kuwait, to join them in this experience.

 

This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of astronaut Mike Barratt, amateur radio call sign KD5MIJ. 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 Salmiya, Kuwait. Amateur radio operators using call sign 9K9AIU, will operate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

 

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for April 22, 2024 at 11:29 am AST (Kuwait) (8:29 UTC, 4:29 am EDT, 3:29 am CDT, 2:29 am MDT, 1:29 am PDT).

 

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As time allows, students will ask these questions:

1. Has observing Earth from space changed your perspective on life?

2. What advancements do you hope to see for future space missions?

3. Besides your family, what do you miss the most about Earth when you're in space?

4. Regarding internal communication among astronauts, what type of communication technologies do you use?

5. Due to the distance from Earth, how do you handle signal delays in communication?

6. What is it like to live in zero gravity; does it affect your body?

7. What was your most unexpected experience living and working in space?

8. How does the lack of gravity impact communication systems compared to those on Earth?

9. How can you insure communications during all parts of your orbit?

10. If there's no gravity in space, how do space capsules fall back to Earth?

11. What happens if the spacesuit is damaged or torn?

12. Do Solar flares affect the communication systems on the ISS?

13. Is there a risk of being hit by objects in space?

14. Does artificial intelligence support communication systems on the ISS?

15. How do you protect communication equipment from radiation or microgravity?

16. What impact do you expect electrical and computer engineering advancements to have on future space missions?

17. What electrical or computer engineering problems have you faced in space, and how did you solve them?

18. What advice would you give to aspiring space enthusiasts or those considering a career in space exploration?

19. How long is it dark and light in space? Does it change how you sleep or do your job?

 

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 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

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Media Contact:

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

                                                                              

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