An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Valahia University of Targoviste, Targoviste, Romania on 12 Apr. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 13:48 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and YO9INI. The contact should be audible over Romania 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 University Valahia of Targoviste (UVT) and its partners are organizing the first Romanian ARISS contact in this historic capital of Wallachia, where ruled Vlad the Impaler, also known as Vlad Dracula. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Information Technology started its activity in 1995 and it is known for electronics, telecommunications, automation, computer science, electrical engineering and power energy, providing eleven bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs for over 780 students. It has a chapter for IEEE Broadcast Technology Society (Romanian section). We are proud of our students' involvement in several international challenges, conferences and various research events. For the ARISS contact UVT trained 20 pupils aged 12 to 18 who were recruited from different high schools in the county. Their training was offered through the European Space Education and Resource Office ESERO-Romania, which is a collaboration between ESA and national partners (ROSA). The ARISS event was also supported by several companies and associations, namely Vodafone Romania and Start-Tech Association.

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

1. What are the qualities that define an astronaut?

2. What is the worst and the best part of your job?

3. Have you ever felt the impact of space debris hitting the ISS?

4. What was the most difficult test that you took during your astronaut

training?

5. What is an everyday thing which is extremely difficult on ISS?

6. What is the most beautiful thing that you can see from space?

7. Have you ever observed solar radiation affecting ISS radio comm?

8. Is radio comm a passion or a job obligation?

9. What is the most interesting discovery made on ISS using plasma?

10. What's the biggest difference between expectation and reality when living

in space?

11. Has food the same taste in space?

12. What is the first thing you will be doing when you come back to Earth?

13. What is your most challenging task on the ISS?

14. How did your know you had a passion for exploration?

15. Do you think spaceflight will be accessible for the masses in the

future?

16. Given the chance, would you live exclusively on Earth, or on the ISS?

17. Has space travel changed your life?

18. Is it true that after coming back you shouldn't expose yourself to

sunlight?

19. What do you do in your free time?

20. What is the coolest thing that you've done in microgravity?

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):

1. Colegio Santa Rosa, Yerba Buena, Argentina, direct via LU1KCQ

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS

The scheduled astronaut is Jeff Williams KD5TVQ

Contact is a go for: Wed 2016-04-13 14:02:54 UTC

2. USA Science and Engineering Festival, Washington, D.C., telebridge

via IK1SLD

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS

The scheduled astronaut is Timothy Peake KG5BVI

Contact is a go for: Sat 2016-04-16 18:19:28 UTC

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), and the 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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