Feb. 3, 2017

ARISS Media Advisory 16-14 / ARISS News Release 17-01

Dave Jordan, ARISS PR - aa4kn@amsat.org

Texas Students to Interview NASA Astronaut on the Space Station

Seventh and eighth grade students from the Science Magnet Program at Seabrook Intermediate School, Seabrook, Texas, will use amateur radio on February 9 to interview astronaut Thomas Pesquet while he orbits the Earth on the International Space Station (ISS).

This live Earth-to-space radio contact will last for 10 minutes starting at 2:30 pm CST Feb. 9 in Space Center Houston's Mission Briefing Center. The special event is a feature of the nonprofit Space Center Houston's 23rd Space Exploration Educators Conference.

The amateur radio interview is part of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program (ARISS) where excited students can link with astronauts living and working on the ISS. Since the ISS first opened for habitation in 2000, ARISS volunteers have hosted an astounding 1,076 ARISS radio education contacts. This contact should be audible over the US Eastern Seaboard; listeners can tune to 145.80 MHZ.

Here is a sampling of students' questions:

· Since hair root cells actively divide in a hair follicle, does zero gravity affect this process?

· Do you have a time zone in space?

· What do you feel is the most important accomplishment performed by the space station that will help science?

The three-day conference draws more than 500 hundred educators from around the world to experience hands-on learning in sessions led by rocket scientists, astronauts and renowned educators. Space Center Houston is the cornerstone of the mission of The Manned Space Flight Education Foundation, a 501©3 nonprofit science and space learning center with extensive educational programs. The mission is to inspire all generations through the wonders of space exploration. Space Center Houston is the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center. The mission of Seabrook Intermediate School is to ensure each student explores and discovers unique talents, passions, and abilities through a dynamic system, including the Science Magnet Program.

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), the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) 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 crewmembers 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.

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