ARISS News Release                                                                                            No.24-24

DaveJordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

aa4kn@amsat.org

FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARISSContact is Scheduled with Students at

American International University, Salmiya,Kuwait

April 20, 2024—AmateurRadio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received scheduleconfirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboard theInternational Space Station (ISS) and students at the American InternationalUniversity located in Salmiya, Kuwait. ARISS conducts 60-100 of these special amateur radio contacts each yearbetween students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboardthe ISS.

AmericanInternational University (AIU) is a private institution located in Saad AlAbdullah, Kuwait. AIU was founded and led by a team of American educators, witha predominantly Kuwaiti student body. AIU students in the ECE400 CommunicationTheory course have been preparing for the ARISS contact, learning about hamradio through study of theoretical concepts and real-world applications. AIU isalso welcoming elementary and high school students from the AmericanBaccalaureate School, K-12 institution in Kuwait, to join them in thisexperience.

This will be adirect contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask theirquestions of astronaut Mike Barratt, amateur radio call sign KD5MIJ. Thedownlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard bylisteners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the relayground station.

The amateur radio ground station for this contact is in Salmiya,Kuwait. Amateur radio operators using call sign 9K9AIU, will operate the groundstation to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

The ARISS radiocontact is scheduled for April 22, 2024 at 11:29 am AST (Kuwait) (8:29 UTC, 4:29 am EDT, 3:29 am CDT, 2:29 am MDT, 1:29am PDT).

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As time allows,students will ask these questions:

1. Hasobserving Earth from space changed your perspective on life?

2. Whatadvancements do you hope to see for future space missions?

3. Besides yourfamily, what do you miss the most about Earth when you're in space?

4. Regardinginternal communication among astronauts, what type of communicationtechnologies do you use?

5. Due to thedistance from Earth, how do you handle signal delays in communication?

6. What is itlike to live in zero gravity; does it affect your body?

7. What wasyour most unexpected experience living and working in space?

8. How does thelack of gravity impact communication systems compared to those on Earth?

9. How can you insure communications during all parts of yourorbit?

10. If there'sno gravity in space, how do space capsules fall back to Earth?

11. Whathappens if the spacesuit is damaged or torn?

12. Do Solarflares affect the communication systems on the ISS?

13. Is there arisk of being hit by objects in space?

14. Doesartificial intelligence support communication systems on the ISS?

15. How do youprotect communication equipment from radiation or microgravity?

16. What impact do you expect electrical and computerengineering advancements to have on future space missions?

17. What electrical or computer engineering problems have youfaced in space, and how did you solve them?

18. What advice would you give to aspiring space enthusiasts orthose considering a career in space exploration?

19. How long isit dark and light in space? Does it change how you sleep or do your job?

About ARISS:

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) isa cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the spaceagencies that support the ISS. In the United States, sponsors are the AmericanRadio Relay League (ARRL), Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), RadioAmateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), NASA’s Space Communications andNavigation program (SCaN) and the ISS National Lab—Space Station Explorers. Theprimary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology,engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizingscheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS andstudents. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents,and communities take part in hands-on learning activities tied to space, spacetechnologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org

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Media Contact:

Dave Jordan,AA4KN

ARISS PR

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