ARISS News Release                                                                                                    No.23-40

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

aa4kn@amsat.org

FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARISSContact is Scheduled with Students at

STEMforGIRLS, St. John’s, Newfoundland andLabrador, Canada

August21, 2023—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has receivedschedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboardthe International Space Station (ISS) and students in St. John’s, Newfoundlandand Labrador, Canada.  ARISS conducts60-80 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students aroundthe globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.

The program, STEMforGIRLS, engages youth in hands-on learningexperiences, provides opportunities to interact with role models, and instillsthe knowledge and confidence required to make informed career choices in STEMfields. Programming is offered virtually and in-person across theprovince of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada to students in junior high andhigh school. STEMforGIRLS is the charitable arm of Women in ResourceDevelopment Corporation (WRDC), a provincial, non-profit organization committedto increasing women's participation in trades and technology. This ARISScontact will be the highlight of the STEMforGIRLS Summer Summit conference, thelargest week-long event of the year starting August 21st. Activities andinformation sessions, leading up to the contact, included virtual interactiveworkshops with local and international female amateur radio operators and femaleengineering students, specializing in satellites, from Dalhousie University,Halifax, Canada. Topics included the history of Amateur Radio, an Introduction toamateur radio concepts, career information, and demonstrations. Participantsalso have an opportunity to pursue an amateur radio license with the help of manyof the conference Elmers.

This will be a telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask theirquestions of Astronaut Steve Bowen, amateur radio call sign KI5BKB. Thedownlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard bylisteners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses thetelebridge station.

The ARISS amateur radio ground station(telebridge station) for this contact is in Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S. Theamateur radio volunteer team at the ground station will use the callsign K6DUE,to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

TheARISS radio contact is scheduled for August 23, 2023 at 12:54 pm NDT (StJohn’s, CAN) (15:24:59 UTC, 11:24 am EDT, 10:24am CDT, 9:24 am MDT, 8:24 am PDT).

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Astime allows, students will ask these questions:

1.What was the hardest thing you had to adjust to in space?

2.Have you seen the Aurora Borealis from space? If so, what does it look like?

3.What’s your favorite part about being in the Space Station?

4.What kind of music do you listen to?

5.Did you get to try "space meals" on earth and then when you ate thesame prepared space meal in orbit, it was not the same?

6.What is the best memory you will take away from your experience on the ISS?

7.What's something you'll miss about the ISS when you get home?

8.As an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, what is the mostawe-inspiring or breathtaking moment you've experienced so far, and how did itmake you feel?

9.What should I focus on in high school if I wanted to become an astronaut?

10.What are your favorite foods to eat while in space?

11.What is your favourite pastime on the International Space Station?

12.What are your thoughts on opening up space travel to civilians?

13.What education and training is required to be selected for this role?

14.Do you ever see light from the sun, or is it all artificial light in the spacestation?

15.What kind of damage can your time in space do to your body?

16.What does it feel like to be in Zero Gravity, is it very different from thetraining simulation?

17.Can you bring your own things to the space station? If so, was there anythingspecific you brought?

18.How does the international space station stay powered?

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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