An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Moore Square AIG/GT Magnet School, Raleigh, NC on 05 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 18:32 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and KG4AKV. The contact should be audible over the U.S. state of North Carolina and portions of the eastern U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

Moore Square GT/AIG Basics Magnet Middle School is a Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) magnet school located in the heart of downtown Raleigh. At our school, we afford our students with a variety of unique learning opportunities that allow students and teachers to amplify individual gifts and talents. We have heightened student engagement through collaboration and exploration in the classroom and through interconnected, downtown partnerships. At our school, students are able to participate in a wide range of electives with topics from Chinese, Orchestra, Modern Dance, or Space Adventures! By the end of their middle school experience, students have not only gained confidence in themselves, but have also had a robust and diverse learning experience creating well-rounded students who are poised to succeed in high school.

Our school has done many things to prepare our students for the contact. Students have had the opportunity to research and participate in the Tomatosphere Citizen Science project. This project is a blind study in which students germinated two groups of tomato seeds- one group that experienced microgravity conditions on the ISS and one group of seeds that did not. We are anxiously awaiting the results of the larger experiment to see how our results compared to others!

Students have also participated in a mock astronaut training session at Marbles Kids Museum after viewing the Hubble 3D IMAX movie. Students conducted research and composed questions based on the research they conducted. The school voted on the best 20 questions.

John Brier, KG4AKV, and Jim Scarborough, KE4ROH, have worked closely by providing our students with background information and serving as guest speakers and facilitators for the event. Joshua Tate, KF4EAG, and Mark Hammond, N8MH, have also been integral to helping our school with the contact.

Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:

1. What is the biggest challenge that you have faced during your time in

space?

2. How are everyday tasks in space different from everyday tasks on Earth?

3. What is your favorite thing about seeing Earth from space?

4. If you had to give advice to a future astronaut about something they

should know that training did not prepare them for, what would you tell

them?

5. What type of foods do you miss the most and how can you be sure that you

are receiving adequate nutrition with the foods you are limited to eating

on ISS?

6. What is your daily routine in space like and how is it different from your

routine on Earth?

7. What inspired you to become an astronaut? What has been the most

challenging part of that journey?

8. How would you describe what launching feels like?

9. How will the experiments you have conducted on this mission impact

humanity?

10. How do you know when to go to sleep and when to wake up? How has this

experience impacted your Circadian rhythm?

11. Describe your exercise routine and the equipment that you use.

12. How does your research related to the colonization of Mars?

13. How is gravitropism in plants different in space?

14. How do you entertain yourself in your spare time?

15. Describe what it feels like to wear your astronaut suit.

16. What kind of medical tests have you gone through to prepare for your

mission and what kinds of tests will you have to go through when you

return to Earth?

17. How has microgravity impacted your body and how does it feel different

from Earth?s gravity?

18. Describe some common types of technology on the International Space

Station that are essential for astronauts to survive in space.

19. What is one thing that you look forward to doing when you return to

Earth?

20. What is the scariest thing that has happened to you when you were in

space?

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):

TBD

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 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

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