ARISS News Release                                                                                                    No.23-24

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

aa4kn@amsat.org

FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARISSContact is Scheduled with Students at

Middlesboro School System, Middlesboro, Kentucky,USA

May23, 2023—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has receivedschedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an Axiom Mission(Ax-2) astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and students atthe Middlesboro School System located in Middlesboro, KY.  ARISS conducts 60-80 of these special amateurradio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew memberswith ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.

This will be atelebridge Contact via AmateurRadio allowing students toask their questions of Astronaut John Shoffner, amateur radio call sign KO4MJC.STEM advocate, business pioneer, andlife-long space enthusiast, John Shoffner will serve as pilot for Axiom Space’sAx-2 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on the SpaceX Dragon.Shoffner currently lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is honored to have thisopportunity to not only achieve one of his greatest life’s dreams but also touse the Ax-2 mission to ignite a passion for STEM education in teachers andstudents worldwide to each pursue their ambitions.

The downlink frequency for this contact is145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprintthat also encompasses the telebridge station.

The ARISS amateur radio ground station(telebridge station) for this contact is in Casale Monferrato, Italy. Theamateur radio volunteer team at the station will use the callsign IK1SLD, toestablish and maintain the ISS connection.

TheARISS radio contact is scheduled for May 25, 2023 at 11:07 am EDT (KY) (15:07:12UTC,10:07 am CDT, 9:07 am MDT, 8:07 am PDT).

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Astime allows, students will ask these questions:

1.Can you describe your initial emotions during your entry into space and dockingto the station?

2.How does your body adapt to microgravity and what will it be like readjustingto Earth’s gravity?

3.What types of experiments have you been[SM1] [SM2] [Ma3]  a part of while onboard the space station?

4.Will you have any leisure time aboard the space station and if so, what typesof things can you do?

5.Can you describe the suits you have to wear on the mission and how they helpyou during your mission?

6.What is your personal “why” for taking part in this mission?

7.What has it felt like being able to come from a small town and live out yourdream of traveling to space?

8.What has it been like to sleep in space and how do you do it?

9.Can you describe the food and how you eat while in space?

10.What is your daily schedule and routine like?

11.What has been the most impactful thing you’ve seen or done so far?

12.How will your time aboard the space station help astronauts on future missions?

13.Can you describe the launch experience?

14.Do you have the ability to communicate with your family back on Earth? If so,how?

15.What advice would you give a student like me who is interested in becoming anastronaut and traveling to space?

About Axiom:

Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) will be Axiom Space’s second all-privateastronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), marking anotherpivotal step toward Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space stationand successor to the 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, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) andNASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN). The primary goal ofARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts,and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts viaamateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before andduring these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities takepart in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, andamateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org

MediaContact:

DaveJordan, AA4KN

ARISSPR

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