An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Bellefonte Area Middle School, Bellefonte, PA on 26 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:59 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and W3YA. The contact should be audible over the state of Pennsylvania and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

The Bellefonte Area Middle School is a rural public school of about 660 students in a district of approximately 2600 students. The middle school is scheduled for an ARISS school contact in late February or early March of 2018 and excitement is building across the district for the event. The school has teamed up with the Nittany Amateur Radio Club for the event. Ellwood Brem (K3YV) and Jon Guizar (K3JEG) are setting up equipment and coordinating the event with help from other club members. Students have been excited to help in fabricating some of the equipment needed.

Many teachers and students have been an essential part of the preparation. The student's excitement for the event started with the eighth-grade art class where students participated in a T-shirt design contest. Students have also been learning about the ISS and its crew-members as they entered into the question competition for a chance to speak to an astronaut. Bellefonte has invited many districts across the state to participate as well and 3 of the questions chosen are from other school districts. The live event will be attended by 700+ in the middle school auditorium, another 2200+ in other district buildings, hundreds to thousands more via live streaming to 3 other school districts, and an unknown number via 2-meter simulcast, live radio station coverage, and live streaming from our local TV station.

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

1. Is there a specific task that astronauts have to re-learn how to do

because the normal way isn?t possible with zero gravity?

2. How many more years will the International Space Station be active to help

astronauts find out about space?

3. What is the average age astronauts begin training for space travel?

4. What was the scariest machine malfunction that has happened to you and how

did you fix it?

5. What is the most stressful thing you had to deal with while being in

space?

6. Which common misconceptions about space bother you the most when people

speak of space?

7. Do you notice any significant changes to your mood and stress level? If

so, what are some coping mechanisms you utilize?

8. Does the lack of gravity take a toll on your body?

9. What are your thoughts on space tourism?

10. What type of equipment do you have on the ISS to study different stars

and galaxies, or do you only study the Earth?

11. What part of the ACME program conducted on the ISS is the most

beneficial, the microgravity combustion engines or the fire proofing

technology?

12. Did you have a role model when you were younger? If so, who was it?

13. I know that space travel has to put a lot of stress on the human body.

What type of medical preparation do you go through before you can leave

for space?

14. What is it like being away from your family for months to years on end?

15. We teach about the importance of eating healthy and exercise in our

Health classes. How do you obtain adequate nutrition and fitness while 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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