An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Howell L. Watkins Middle School, Palm Beach Gardens FL on 17 Oct. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 16:08 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and N4J. The contact should be audible over Florida 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.

Howell L. Watkins is a public middle school for grades 6-8 located Palm Beach Gardens, Florida operating in the Palm Beach County School system. The school first opened in 1963 and has been in their current building for about thirteen years. The student population is 928 students with an average age group of 11 through 14 years. Ninety percent of the students are on the free or reduced lunch program and the student population has a high number of Limited English Proficiency students (LEP) and students who receive Exceptional Student Education (ESE) support services. The school currently has two magnet programs: a Medical Magnet and a Science, Technology, Robotics and Mathematics (STERM) program. There are 58 teachers providing instruction and 47 support personnel on the school staff. The school's mission is to educate students and to assist them in realizing their full potential as responsible, productive, contributing members of society by providing an educational environment in which students are challenged, excellence is expected and differences are valued.

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

1. What is your hypothesis on the future evolution of Mars? Do you think

it will be the next landing site for astronauts?

2. In regards to Kepler-186f, how can you tell the life of a planet 500

light years away from Earth?

3. If you were left on Mars like in the movie "The Martian" what would you

do?

4. Being in space weakens the bone structure, but what does it do to the

Cardiovascular system, especially the heart?

5. What is the safety cord you use on space walks made of and can it be

broken?

6. When did you know you wanted to become an astronaut and who inspired

you?

7. Is it hard living in a small space with limited resources?

8. What is your favorite tool or gadget that you use in space and what is

its purpose?

9. What would you do if the ISS were hit by space junk?

10. What was the hardest part about going into space?

11. What have you accomplished in space that you are the most proud of?

12. How long was your astronaut training and was it difficult?

13. How do you sleep upright in the sleeping bag and stay in the bag?

14. Is it hard getting used to sleeping on a flat bed when you get home?

15. How hard is it being away from your families?

16. After your body has evacuated its waste, what happens to it?

17. Which movie or TV show have you watched about space travel that is the

most closely related to what you are experiencing?

18. How has your view of the Earth affected your view of humanity, or has

your view of humanity changed since being able to look at the world

from space?

19. What is the most impressive thing you have seen while in space?

PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES:

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International Space Station (ARISS).

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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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