ARISS News Release                                                                                                    No.22-66

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

aa4kn@amsat.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Youth Members of the

Maitland Air Cadet Association, Goderich, Ontario, Canada

December 14, 2022—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 members of the Maitland Air Cadet Squadron located in Goderich, ON, Canada.  ARISS conducts 60-80 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.

The Maitland Air Cadet Association supports the activities of the local air cadet squadron and provides enhanced support to the Air Cadet squadron. Maitland Air Cadet Squadron is a joint effort by the Department of National Defense, the Air Cadet League of Canada, and the Royal Canadian Legion branch 109, Goderich, Ontario. The aims of the Air Cadet program are to develop in youth the attributes of good citizenship and leadership; to promote physical fitness; to stimulate an interest in the air element of Canadian Forces. Educational activities in preparation for this ARISS contact involves cadets designing/building VHF antennas, tracking the ISS and decoding ISS-APRS messages. Basic radio courses for all cadet levels are being offered, giving them the opportunity to become a licensed amateur radio operator.

This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio allowing cadets to ask their questions of Astronaut Josh Cassada, amateur radio call sign KI5CRH. Local Covid-19 protocols are adhered to as applicable for each ARISS contact. 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 Goderich, ON, Canada. Amateur radio operators using call sign VA3SQN, will operate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for December 16, 2022 at 12:25 pm EST (Goderich) (17:25 UTC, 11:25 am CST, 10:25 am MST, 9:25 am PST).

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As time allows, students will ask these questions:

1. How many g-forces do you experience when going into space?

2. What are the consequences of space life on the human body once you return to earth?

3. What is the air pressure on your body in space and what does it feel like to be weightless?

4. What does it feel like to go on a spacewalk?

5. What was your biggest fear about living in space?

6. Do you miss the earth while you're up there?

7. When did you arrive on the ISS, and when are you scheduled to return to earth?

8. What do you do in your free time in space?

9. Are you able to call or video chat with your family?

10. How do you manage your time on the ISS without the normal 24 hour solar day?

11. How many languages do you need to be able to speak to go in the ISS?

12. What kinds of personal items are you allowed to bring aboard the ISS?

13. How many “Canadarms" are there on the ISS?

14. Can mail and packages be sent to and from the ISS?

15. What has been your most memorable experience during your time on the ISS?

16. What was the biggest change in your lifestyle when you first went to space?

17. What has been the biggest highlight of your career?

18. How long did it take from lift off until you were docked with the ISS?

19. What previous missions to space have you been on?

20. Are any of the current ISS crew part of the NASA Artemis missions to the moon?

21. How well are you able to see rockets launching from earth while you’re up there?

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 ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN). 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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