*ARISS News Release No. 24-91*

*Dave Jordan, AA4KN *

*ARISS PR*

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

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

*ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at *

*Zespół Szkół Łączności, Warsaw, Poland*

December 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 students at the Zespół Szkół Łączności located in Warsaw, Poland. 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.

Zespół Szkół Łączności (Communications School Complex) in Warsaw (about 800 students ages 14-19) consists of two schools: Technikum Łączności, a technical high school specializing in telecommunications, and XCVI Liceum Ogólnokształcące, a general education high school. A number of the school’s science clubs allow students to participate and learn more about Space communication (ZSL SPACE), telecommunication/cyber security (IT Factory Academy), and machine learning (Cisco Academy). Students have also competed in NASA Space Apps Challenge Hackathon, Moon Camp Challenge competition, CanSat competition (students designed and built a mini communication satellite, SaTech), STEM competition of Warsaw University of Technology, and Astro Pi (missions Zero and Space Lab). In preparation for the ARISS contact, the school's SP5KEU amateur radio club has been reactivated to engage students in team-based STEM projects using telecommunications and amateur radio technologies. The school's cooperation with various organizations and scientific institutions enables students to develop practical skills in real-life conditions. Members of the Amateur Radio Club (LOK) of Warsaw (SP5KAB) are supporting the school during this ARISS contact. School staff are also collaborating with the Polish Amateur Astronomy Association (PTMA) in preparation for this contact.

This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of astronaut Nick Hague, amateur radio call sign KG5TMV. 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 relay ground station.

The amateur radio ground station for this contact is in Warsaw, Poland. Amateur radio operators using call sign SP5KAB, will operate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for December 16, 2024 at 9:35 am CET (Poland) (8:35 UTC, 3:35 am EST, 2:35 am CST, 1:35 am MST, 12:35 am PST).

The public is invited to watch the live stream at: https://www.youtube.com/live/DBafZYpxolI

*_______________________________*

As time allows, students will ask these questions:

1. What was your first thought when you saw Earth from space?

2. How do you repair damage to the exterior of ISS caused by space debris?

3. Is it easy to fall asleep in space?

4. What was the most surprising thing you have seen or experienced that you didn't expect before the mission?

5. How do you stay healthy and fit in space?

6. How do you prepare your meals?

7. What do your family and friends say about you living in space?

8. Do you feel any changes in your body due to weightlessness?

9. What do you find challenging while living in the ISS?

10. Is it possible to take a picture of stars when the station is in sunlight?

11. What was the most unusual experiment that you have conducted?

12. Do you have any dreams related to space flights?

13. What is your most memorable moment from this mission?

14. Have you experienced situations that require quick reaction and improvising?

15. Do you have a similar or different routine for working on the ISS every day?

16. If you were to give future generations advice, what would it be?

17. What do you do in your free time?

18. What impresses you the most about being in space?

19. Does the ISS use AI to operate in space?

20. How hard is it to get used to living on the ISS?

*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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