*ARISS News Release No. 24-82*

*Dave Jordan, AA4KN *

*ARISS PR*

*dave.jordan@ariss-usa.org dave.jordan@ariss-usa.org*

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

*ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at *

*Escola Secundária Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal*

November 20, 2024—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and students at the Escola Secundária Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro located in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal. ARISS conducts 60-100 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.

Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro Secondary School has about 1,000 students in 7th to 12th grades (ages 12 through 18). Their courses include studies in Science and Technology, Economics, Language Studies, Arts, and include an adult education program in various professional fields. Local amateur radio operators are supporting the school during this ARISS contact.

This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of astronaut Don Pettit, amateur radio call sign KD5MDT. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the relay ground station.

The amateur radio ground station for this contact is in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal. Amateur radio operators using call sign CS5SS, will operate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for November 22, 2024 at 4:37:40 pm WET (Portugal) (16:37:40 UTC, 11:37 am EST, 10:37 am CST, 9:37 am MST, 8:37 am PST).

The public is invited to watch the live stream at: https://www.youtube.com/live/QzZOq7bhOas

*_______________________________*

As time allows, students will ask these questions:

1. What has been your biggest challenge in becoming an astronaut?

2. How did your family react when they first found out you were going to space?

3. How would you describe the feeling of seeing Earth from space for the first time?

4. What was the most exciting or memorable moment you experienced during a space mission?

5. How can the technology used on the ISS benefit life on Earth?

6. What does it feel like to be outside the ISS especially when repairing something?

7. Is the ISS affected by solar storms?

8. What are the dangers of staying without gravity for long periods of time?

9. What activities do you engage in during your free time on the ISS?

10. How do you take care of your mental health in space?

11. What types of scientific experiments are conducted aboard the space station?

12. To what extent do the absence of gravity and the conditions on the ISS affect the results of scientific experiments?

13. What scientific discoveries have been made possible as a result of your space missions?

14. What do you look forward to the most from future missions to the moon and Mars?

15. How does space radiation affect the human body?

16. In the case of illness, what is the protocol?

17. What happens if you lose communication with Earth?

18. How do you adjust to your normal routine after spending several months in space?

19. What do you miss most about Earth?

20. It has been a pleasure to connect and learn from you. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Wishing you all the best on your journey aboard the ISS!

*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 ISS. In the United States, sponsors are the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN) and the ISS National Lab—Space Station Explorers. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org.

Media Contact:

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

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