ARISS News Release No.23-09
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARISSContact is Scheduled with Students at
Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo”, Empoli, Italy
February21, 2023—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has receivedschedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboardthe International Space Station (ISS) and students at the Istituto Statale diIstruzione Superiore located in Empoli, Italy. ARISS conducts 60-80 of these special amateur radio contacts each yearbetween students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboardthe ISS.
Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo” (Institute)is located in the municipality of Empoli, in the heart of Tuscany, and isattended by about 740 students aged between 14 and 19. The Institute includes the Liceo Scientifico with a 5-year curriculumin the STEM disciplines: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and Earth sciences.The institute also provides courses (and instruction in laboratory practice intheir lab facilities) in applied sciences, which allows students to gainadvanced skills (and their applications) in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology,Earth sciences, and computer science. TheInstitute has partnered with the Italian Radioamateur Association of Empoli (Sezione A.R.I. Empoli), club call sign IQ5EM, whosemembers/operators will operate the ground station for this ARISS contact.Members of Sezione A.R.I. Empoli have been collaborating for years with schoolsin the territory in order to interest youth in the world of amateur radio.
This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions ofAstronaut Koichi Wakata, amateur radio call sign KI5TMN. The downlink frequencyfor this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners that are withinthe ISS-footprint that also encompasses the relay ground station.
The amateur radio ground station for this contactis in Empoli, Italy. Amateur radio operators using call sign IQ5EM, willoperate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection.
TheARISS radio contact is scheduled for February 23, 2023 at 10:32:56 am CET(Italy)(9:32:56 UTC, 4:32 am EST, 3:32 am CST, 2:32 am MST, 1:32am PST).
Thepublic is invited to watch the live stream at: https://www.ilpontormoempoli.edu.it/notizie/la-vita-della-scuola/eventi-e-at...
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Astime allows, students will ask these questions:
1.What are your thoughts and feelings before liftoff?
2.On the ISS, what is theprevailing feeling since you are flying kilometers away from the Earth in alimited livable space?
3.Which experiences on the ISShave excited you the most and which ones were unexpected?
4.How does the perception of time and space change from staying on Earth andflying on the ISS?
5.What is the relationship amongcrew on ISS with so many different nationalities represented?
6.Does living in microgravity affect your sleep-wake mechanism and how do yourdreams change when you are in Space?
7.Has there ever been a significant emergency since you arrived on the ISS? Ifso, how did you sort it out?
8.Are there any aspects of your training which have turned out to be useful inyour everyday life and are there any habits you have taken up in Space that youmaintain after you get back to the Earth?
9.A few years ago, the ISS wasproposed for the Nobel Peace Prize. Where do you see the future ofinternational collaborative space efforts going forward?
10.How do you get used to terrestrial gravity when you get back to the Earth?
11.What are the main challenges you daily overcome during your stay on the SpaceStation?
12.What are the aims of thescientific research you conduct on the ISS? What limits are there for spaceresearch?
13.Excluding ground control, who are you in touch with on Earth and how do youmaintain this contact?
14.What leads you to explore and study Space? Is it irrepressible curiosity,thirst for knowledge or the will of being the first to make new discoveries?
15.How did your passion for exploring Space come about and what suggestions wouldyou give to a teenager eager to become an astronaut?
About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the InternationalSpace Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radiosocieties and the space agencies that support the International Space Station(ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur SatelliteCorporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS NationalLab-Space Station Explorers, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) andNASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN). The primary goal ofARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts,and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts viaamateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before andduring these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities takepart in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, andamateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org
MediaContact:
DaveJordan, AA4KN
ARISSPR
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