ARISSNews Release No. 20-04

DaveJordan, AA4KN

ARISSPR

aa4kn@amsat.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARISSto Attempt Second Test of New

MultipointTelebridge Contact via Amateur Radio

May10, 2020—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS)is announcing a second test of its new distance-learning ARISS radiocontacts with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts togetherspecial amateur radio contacts between students around the globe andastronauts with ham radio licenses on the InternationalSpace Station (ISS).

Thiswill be the second test of thenew-style radio contact, called MultipointTelebridge Contact via Amateur Radio.The concept was developed for distance learning when schools closedworldwide dueto COVID-19. The virus eliminated all opportunities for ARISS radiocontacts at education organizations. A new ARISStelebridge radio ground station will be used this time, this operatedby John Sygo, amateur radio call sign ZS6JON, near Johannesburg,South Africa.

Thenew concept requires three things. The ARISS telebridge radio groundstation--a satellite ham radio station with special equipment that anARISS team member uses for teleconferencing, the ham astronaut on theISS using the ARISS ham radio station, and students at their homes.The telebridge radio operator links to the astronaut at the ARISSradio mic, and each youth ties in from home via their telephones.Their families can listen along with faculty and the public fromhome.Each student takes a turn asking their question of the astronaut.

Theyouth taking part in ARISS’s second test belong to the AirdrieSpace Science Club in Airdrie, AB, Canada The radio contact isscheduled for May 15 at 15:10 UTC. ISS Commander Chris Cassidy,amateur radio call sign KF5KDR, will support the ARISS radio contact.Prior to COVID, the students had participated in space and radiocommunications lessons such as balloon launches with ham radiopayloads and building model rockets to launch. Brian Jackson, amateurradio call sign VE6JBJ, is one of the five club leaders. He related,“Duringthis pandemic, our opportunities to develop kids’ interest in spacehas been interrupted. This ARISS contact gets them looking backup, towards the sky, and imagining themselves as an astronaut oneday.”

ARISSinvites the public to view the livestream of the upcoming ARISS radiotest at: https://youtu.be/2mflSlShPHA.

Duringthe contact, youth will ask as many of the following questions astime allows:

1.How has seeing Earth from its orbit affected you, in your frame ofreference when moving around the

ISS,or in your perspective of humanity as a whole?

2.What happens if you vomit in the space station? How do you clean itup?

3.How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you while you are in space?

4.What will be your first meal when you get back to Earth?

5.What does it feel like when the rocket lifts off?

6.What does the space station smell like?

7.Was training to be an astronaut harder or easier than training to bea navy seal?

8.What experiment that you've done had the most unexpected results?What was the expected and

actualoutcome of said experiment?

9.How successful is your 3-D printer on the station?

10.We are a model rocket building club. Did you ever build modelrockets when you were young?

11.What does microgravity feel like on your body?

12.Does the Earth look any clearer or less polluted now compared to whenyou flew in 2009 and with

CanadianChris Hadfield in 2013?

13.Do you play any games while you are on the ISS?

14.What kind of music do you listen to?

AboutARISS:

AmateurRadio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperativeventure of international amateur radio societies and the spaceagencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In theUnited States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation(AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Laband National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primarygoal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology,engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics by organizing scheduledcontacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS andstudents. Before and during these radio contacts, students,educators, parents, and communities learn about space, spacetechnologies, and amateur radio. For more information, seewww.ariss.org.

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MediaContact:

DaveJordan, AA4KN

ARISSPR