An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Slovanské Gymnázium Olomouc, Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic on 08 Mar. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 08:22 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and OK2KYJ. The contact should be audible over the Czech Republic 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.

It will be the first ARISS event ever in the Czech Republic. There are three high schools from Olomouc taking part in the ARISS contact project. All of them have about the same study programmes and equipment common for the 21st century. Students are divided into three different study programmes lasting four, six, and eight years. All schools have invested into the latest technology, enable access to Wi-Fi throughout the schools for the students to access online learning and be competent with the use of computers and the internet in their lessons. They can also be proud of their libraries and other facilities such as study areas and canteens. All schools offer various after-school programmes and activities including the ones connected with the ARISS and ISS projects.

Slovanske gymnazium (SG) has selected students aged 11 to 19, some of them studying the French bilingual programme and is of a very good standard concerning teaching programmes and students´ results which are believed to contribute to the ARISS project and make studying of Physics even more attractive to the students. It is possible to see some of their preparations and promotion of ARISS in a short video at www.sgo.cz

Gymnazium Olomouc - Hejcin is renowned as one of the top high schools and the biggest school in the Czech Republic. Through a rigorous study program, students are challenged to succeed academically and prepared to excel at the university level. Some of the students study English bilingual programme - both Czech teachers and native English speaking teachers participate and cooperate in the teaching process.

Gymnazium Cajkovskeho is a school for 11 to 19 year old selected students. The school offers Spanish bilingual programme and courses for international certificate German language. Students and teachers took part in many projects with well-respected results. The school also has a strong sports section. While taking part in the ARISS contact project, the school has been implying a stronger impact on Science. As the school has been on the waiting list for a radio contact for more than two years now, some of the students have reached the university by now, and took part in forming the UP Crowd.

UP Crowd is a guild of students of scientific disciplines and other science enthusiasts from University of Palacky in Olomouc. They have been cooperating on the ARISS project with the 0K2KYJ radio club (see www.ok2kyj.cz) for the last year and half. Through their members they have an extensive connection with the famous scientists and astronomers in the Czech Republic. They had promoted ARISS-Olomouc project at many past events such as University popularization event of Physical kaleidoscope 2015, The Open day of Scientific faculty of UP, "The Night of the scientists" event at Scientific faculty of UP, high schools lectures for first and second grade students of elementary schools and high schools, Lecture event for kids (age 15 - 18) of Mensa Czech Republic. There is a website presenting information about the ISS and ARISS http://exfyz.upol.cz/didaktika/iss/

One of our partners ONYX has greatly contributed to the realization of such a project and tries to reach a wide audience of readers and followers at http://onyx.cz/clanek/587 and https://www.facebook.com/ONYX.engineering/posts

We are planning to contact some famous scientists and astronomers to join the lectures planned before and after the actual radio connection, and hope to contribute to spread more interest in both astronautics and radio contact fields of science.

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

1. What is it like eating in zero gravity?

2. How can you relax on the ISS? Do you have time to watch movies?

3. Is the day/night cycle the same as on Earth? Are you on shifts?

4. What was the most difficult or strangest thing to get used to on the ISS?

5. Does your stay in space have any influence on your health and if so, how?

6. What do you miss most from gravity on Earth?

7. How do you deal with the isolation from your family?

8. Is it possible to catch a cold on the ISS or is it a completely sterile

environment?

9. Can you use a 3D printer in the same way as on Earth?

10. How do you overcome weightlessness when back on Earth?

11. Does time pass slower or faster in your daily routine aboard the ISS

compared to life on Earth?

12. Do you access the Internet in the same fashion as on Earth?

13. Do you have any musical instruments on the ISS?

14. Are you planning a stay of a small pet aboard the ISS?

15. Are there any special items that you carry with you all the time?

16. What do you think is the biggest problem for humans to go beyond low

earth orbit?

17. How are you being filmed during a spacewalk?

18. Is it possible to compare life on ISS to somewhere on Earth?

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. Atlanta Science Festival, Atlanta, Georgia, telebridge via K6DUE

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS

The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN

Contact is a go for: Tue 2016-03-08 16:11:05 UTC 53 deg

Watch for live stream at http://atlantasciencefestival.org/ariss

2. North Dakota Space Grant Consortium (NDSGC), Grand Forks, North

Dakota, telebridge via W6SRJ The ISS callsign is presently

scheduled to be NA1SS

The scheduled astronaut is Tim Kopra KE5UDN

Contact is a go for: Thu 2016-03-10 19:08:55 UTC 56 deg

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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