An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at The Kings School, Ottery St Mary, Devon, UK on 09 May. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 09:26 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between GB1SS and GB1OSM. The contact should be audible over the UK 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.
The King's School is an 11-18 comprehensive school with approximately 1150 students of which 230 are in the Sixth Form. It has a long and proud history that can be traced back to a fourteenth century choir school which was replaced in 1545 by Henry VIII in 1545 with "The King's School". Although The King's School became an academy in 2011 we continue to work in close partnership with Devon County Council and our fellow secondary schools to ensure that we offer the best educational opportunities possible. Our inclusive philosophy of "Achievement for All" encapsulates our belief that every person who enters The King's School has unique skills and potential which we believe we have the creativity and ability to unlock.
We were graded Outstanding by OfSTED in 2011, and in the latest 2014 OfSTED inspection we were again graded Outstanding but this time in every category. The report endorsed the school's belief that its ethos has a hugely positive impact on student achievement.
We are extremely proud of our students and of the brilliant examination results they achieve year on year. However, we are also incredibly proud of the myriad of extra-curricular activities in which they are involved. This richness of opportunity is central to what we believe develops our students into well rounded young people. We are very much a community school, working very closely with our hugely supportive parents, Governors, excellent partner primary schools, local business representatives and a wide range of other agencies to provide opportunities for all.
Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:
1. You have missed Christmas and Easter with your family and friends - how
have you celebrated big events in space?
2. We have seen videos of you playing about in microgravity on the ISS -
what is your favourite thing to do when 'weightless?'
3. From your elevated advantage point, looking down on the Earth, has your
perception of the events on our planet, such as conflicts and wars been
altered? Does the change in perception give any insight that we could
learn from?
4. Having spent many months looking at the Earth from afar, where is the
first place you would go for a family holiday when you get home?
5. Over 500 astronauts have been into space, but only 12 have set foot on the
moon. Do you think that we will return people to the moon again in the
future? How will your research on the ISS help us if we did?
6. We have learned about your experiments on how the human body adapts to
conditions in space. How will the research improve our quality of life on
Earth?
7. Taking into account Einstein's theory of relativity, do you think you are
aging slower because you are travelling faster then the Earth?
8. I often stare into the inky blackness of space and wonder if the
universe is expanding, then what is it expanding into? Has your time in
space given you any insight?
9. Is the sunrise more spectacular from your perspective?
10. After 6 years of training to be an astronaut, I bet it's all been worth
it. The experiments you are doing are amazing, but did you ever struggle
with Science at school? What would you say to anyone that finds it
difficult?
11. How do you get your air in space? Do you bring it up in tanks, or do you
make it in the space station, if so, how? Also, do you have a special
'space mixture' of air or is it the same as we have on earth?
12. Do you and the other astronauts onboard control the space station, or is
it controlled from Earth?
13. Research shows that your sleeping position can affect the kind of dreams
that you have. Have you noticed any difference in your sleep patterns or
dreams during your time in space?
14. I am reading 'The Astronaut's Handbook' at the moment, which is
fascinating. If you could take one thing into space to make life more
comfortable, or easier, what would it be?
15. We have enjoyed listening to your music choices on 'Space Rocks' - what
is your all-time favourite song to listen to in space?
16. How do you keep the temperature constant inside the space station?
17. What would happen to a goldfish if you took it up to the ISS? Would it
just float around in a bubble of water?
18. Do you have a special 'space mixture' of air or is it the same as we have
on earth?
19. How will your research on the ISS help us return people to the moon?
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. H.A.L. School, Lucknow, India, telebridge via K6DUE
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN
Contact is a go for Option #7: Thu 2016-05-12 08:11:20 UTC
2. AstroNuts Kids Space Club Academy, Duncan Observatory, Richmond
Hill, Ontario, Canada, telebridge via W6SRJ
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS
The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI
Contact is a go for Option #1: Sat 2016-05-14 17:37:12 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), and the 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
--- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus