*ARISS News Release No. 24-80*

*Dave Jordan, AA4KN *

*ARISS PR*

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

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

*ARISS Contact is Scheduled with *

*Cottam Scouts, Cottam, Ontario, Canada*

November 14, 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 Cottam Scouts located in Cottam, Ontario, Canada. 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.

Scouting came to Canada in early 1908 with three troops established almost simultaneously inspired by Robert Baden-Powell's Boy Scouts movement in the UK. Throughout the decades, Scouting has adapted to societal changes, introducing programs focusing on environmental stewardship, leadership, and inclusivity. The Cottam Scouting group emphasizes their local heritage, incorporating outdoor skills like camping, hiking, canoeing along with other key elements of youth development, like community service leadership. For this ARISS contact, neighboring Scouting Groups and their families have been invited to attend this event.

This will be a telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of astronaut Sunita Williams, amateur radio call sign KD5PLB. 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 telebridge station.

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

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for November 16, 2024 at 1:17 pm EST (Ontario, CAN) (18:17 UTC, 12:17 pm CST, 11:17 am MST, 10:17 am PST).

*_______________________________*

As time allows, students will ask these questions:

1. Have you seen any aliens in space?

2. What is their favourite planet?

3. How many stars are there in the Universe?

4. What do you eat and how do you cook in space?

5. How did you become an astronaut?

6. What can you see from outer space? Can you see Lake Erie?

7. How do you get back from the ISS?

8. Have you been to the moon?

9. How long does it take to get to space?

10. How long do your air tanks last?

11. Have you found any life on Mars yet?

12. How much schooling does it take to be an astronaut?

13. Can you see more constellations from space?

14. How much does a black hole weigh?

15. How cold is it in space?

16. What is your favorite sci-fi movie? Are there any that annoy you?

17. What are you studying in the space station?

18. Do you believe we ever will be to travel through space infinite distances in milliseconds?

*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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