ARISS News Release                                                                                                    No.   21-50

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

aa4kn@amsat.org

FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARISSContact is Scheduled for

Participants at SPDW Voortrekker Movement Camp, Oranjeville, South Africa

September22, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has receivedschedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is thegroup that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students aroundthe globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).

This will be a direct contact via amateur radio between participants at the SPDWVoortrekker Movement camp and Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, amateur radio callsign KE5DNI. Youths will take turns asking theirquestions. Appropriate localCovid-19 protocols are adhered to as applicable for each ARISS contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heardby listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the radio relayground station.

Amateur radio operators in Oranjeville usingthe ZS9SPD call sign will operate the ham radio ground station for thiscontact.

The ARISS radio contact isscheduled for September 24, 2021 at 12:43 pm SAST (Oranjeville, SA), (10:43 UTC, 6:43am EDT, 5:43 am CDT, 4:43 am MDT and 3:43 am PDT).

SPDW VoortrekkerMovement (Voortrekkers) is an organization serving South Africa and Namibiayouth ages 5 years up to 28 years. Voortrekkers offers an annual week-long campwith water activities and science-related courses and badges for Grade 1 toGrade 7. Space Observation is one of the badges/courses offered to the Grade 4s(30 children). About 260 children and 90 adults (instructors and mentors) fromacross 5 Provinces, are attending the camp. Youth in Grade 4 will be the mostactive participants in this ARISS contact; however, all of the children will beinvolved in many camp presentations and activities. Voortrekkers camp curriculum includes space observation,astronomy, and a simulated space habitation experience. During this camp event,youths are introduced to space & GPS technology and participate in asimulation of ISS (crew-to-ground) radio communication by making radio and CCTVcommunications with the “outside world”. Camp participants also can work towardtheir ham radio operator badge, and participate in a licensing ham radio courseand badge work. Local amateur radio operators will provide radio equipment and supportcamp participants during the ARISS contact.

The public is invited to watch the live stream at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9qBhZBR9o0

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Astime allows, students will ask these questions:

1. I am absolutely stunned at thethought of spacewalking... Are you scared before you go out of the spaceship todo a spacewalk? How do you feel inside your heart and your mind after you havecompleted a spacewalk? Does your body feel different?

2. Do you have any free time and how doyou spend it.

3. Do you really think human existencewill be possible on Mars in the future?

4. With all the money spent on outer space, howdoes it make life better for people on Earth?

5. What is the feeling you experiencedwhile you were going up into space.

6. How do you prepare your food inspace and where do you get water from to drink?

7. Where do you get the oxygen from tobreath while you are up there?

8. Are there any changes to your bodywhile you are up in space?

9. How do you navigate in space, wheredo you know where you are going? Do you use maps, compass or GPS?

10. What happens when any of the crewgets sick?

11. Can you take your phone into spaceand is there signal in space? How do you contact your family at home?

12. How do you sleep in space when youare always floating around?

13. You spend long hours/days/weeksaway from earth. Do you ever feel down and depressed in space? What do you doto combat down/depressed feelings?

14. My siblings and I grow up in thesame house, is taught the same set of rules, yet we seem to fight a lot. Whatdifference do you experience with the different people on ISS? fromdifferent... Countries, Culture, Houses? Do you fight with each other?

15. How does a "very active"person on earth, adapt to a "sit in one place in a spaceship?

16. You try to grow produce on ISS. Didyou taste it? Can you define the taste?

17. On the farm my dad uses cow dung tofertilize vegetables, do you use the poop in your vegetable garden?

18. In space there is a lot of stuffthat was made by humans... e.g. satellites... In 2020 the planning is to add12000 extra satellites in space...How often do you see items like these inspace?

19. Do you think humans have pollutedspace?

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ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Continuous Amateur Radio Operations onthe ISS

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, and NASA’s Space communications and Navigationprogram. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science,technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this byorganizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard theISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators,parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied tospace, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org

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MediaContact:

DaveJordan, AA4KN

ARISSPR

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