ARISS News Release No.24-32

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at

The Educational Complex Nuestra Señora de Fátima No 1139 and No 8119, Pérez, Argentina

June 24, 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 Complejo Educativo Nuestra Señora de Fátima located in Pérez, Argentina. 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.

The Educational Complex Nuestra Señora de Fátima, (comprised of schools No. 1139 and No.

8119) is a comprehensive educational institution covering primary and secondary levels. The school fosters students’ interest in and vocational development in the sciences by implementing a series of activities, such as their annual workshops on physical and chemical phenomena. These workshops promote discovery through experimentation and allows students to explore and understand the fundamental principles that govern these two sciences. Among the topics covered for the 6^th grade program are the scientific method, experiments on energy transfer, waves, sound and light, telescopes, and setting up a weather station. The 7th Grade program covers the solar system, Earth-Moon-Sun system, Moon landings, the ISS and life in space, the importance of caring for the Earth, celestial maps and constellations, stars, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. The schools collaborate with a group of amateur radio operators and astronomy enthusiasts, which allows student access to expert and specialized guidance.

This will be a telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of astronaut Jeanette Epps, amateur radio call sign KF5QNU. 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 Meadow Spring, Australia. The amateur radio volunteer team at the ground station will use the callsign VK6MJ, to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for June 27, 2024 at 10:38 am ART (Pérez, Argentina) (13:38 UTC, 9:38 am EDT, 8:38 am CDT, 7:38 am MDT, 6:38 am PDT).

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As time allows, students will ask these questions:

1. What can you see through a window that doesn’t face Earth?

2. How do astronauts readapt to living on Earth after returning from space?

3. What happens if an astronaut is left floating in space without anything to hold onto?

4. How do you cut your hair?

5. Are there any smells in space? What does space smell like?

6. What’s the first thing you would like to do when you return to the Earth?

7. What do you do if an astronaut gets sick? Are illnesses different in space?

8. What happens if there is an accident?

9. How does being in space affect sleep?

10. What is the most amazing thing you can do in space?

11. What inspired you to become an astronaut?

12. What’s the most beautiful thing astronauts have seen on the ISS?

13. Does the Sun affect you when you go into space? How?

14. Can astronauts cry in space? Can your tears drop?

15. How do astronauts film outside the ISS?

16. How has being an astronaut affected personal relationships?

17. How does it feel to be in space for 6 months or more?

18. How did you prepare to become an astronaut?

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.

Media Contact:

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

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