ARISS News Release                                                                                                    No.23-07

Dave Jordan, AA4KN

ARISS PR

aa4kn@amsat.org

FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARISSContact is Scheduled with Students at

Stella Maris College, Gzira, Malta

February13, 2023—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has receivedschedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboardthe International Space Station (ISS) and students at the Stella Maris College locatedin Gzira, Malta.  ARISS conducts 60-80 ofthese special amateur radio contacts each year between students around theglobe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.

Stella Maris College is part of a network (La Salle Malta) ofLasallian Colleges that include De La Salle College and the Mellieha RetreatCentre. La Salle Malta was founded as a single school in 1903 by the Brothersof the Christian Schools and is now the La Salle Malta’s Lasallian Colleges,run by the Malta Trust of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Stella MarisCollege is hosting this ARISS contact for participating students in grades 5through 10 (ages 9-15 years). Stella Maris College has partnered with membersof the Malta Amateur Radio League (MARL) (9H1MRL) who will provide supportduring the ARISS contact. Members of MARL have also made presentations tostudents about amateur radio, and demonstrated satellite tracking and talkingto other hams through amateur radio satellites. As a member of MARL, StellaMaris College has previously operated their own amateur radio station. Membersof other organizations that are also part of educational activities surroundingthis ARISS contact include; the University of Malta, the Malta College forScience and Technology, Malta Council for Science and Technology and MaltaCollege for Arts, Science and Technology.

This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions ofAstronaut Josh Cassada, amateur radio call sign KI5CRH. The downlink frequencyfor this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners that are withinthe ISS-footprint that also encompasses the relay ground station.

The amateur radio ground station for this contactis in Gzira, Malta. Amateur radio operators using call sign 9H1MRL, willoperate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

TheARISS radio contact is scheduled for February 15, 2023 at 1:48 pm CET (Malta) (12:48UTC,7:48 am EST, 6:48 am CST, 5:48 am MST, 4:48am PST).

Thepublic is invited to watch the live stream at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk-Onkbr6PY

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Astime allows, students will ask these questions:

1.What do astronauts normally eat or drink on the space station?

2.How do you sleep in space? Is it comfortable?

3.What do you do in your free time?

4.How long is the training to actually go in space?

5.Why do astronauts wear space suits?

6.Is there a maximum time limit for staying in space?

7.How do you stay healthy (physically and mentally): in space?

8.When you are going up in space, crossing the ozone layer does it hurt?

9.What side effects do you get when returning from space?

10.Can kids go to space?

11.Did you discover something new from another galaxy?

12.What does space food taste like?

13.How does it feel like living in low gravity?

14.What inspired you to work in space and the International Space Station?

15.What are your emotions during lift-off?

16.Do astronauts need to go to the hospital or get checked out when they return toEarth?

17.What do you miss most from Earth when you are in space?

18.How is one chosen to go on the ISS? What inspired you to become an astronaut?

19.What does the training to go to space consist of?

20.Why is there no gravity in space? How does it feel?

21.At what speed does the ISS travel and how many times do you circle the Earth ina day

22.How is air generated inside the ISS?

23.What is the best thing to do when you are in a rocket?

24.How would you describe the spacewalk in a few words?

25.What is the hardest part when living in space?

26.What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen in space?

About ARISS:

Amateur Radio on the InternationalSpace Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radiosocieties and the space agencies that support the International Space Station(ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur SatelliteCorporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS NationalLab-Space Station Explorers, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) andNASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program (SCaN). The primary goal ofARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, andmathematics topics. ARISS does this by organizing scheduled contacts viaamateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before andduring these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities takepart in hands-on learning activities tied to space, space technologies, andamateur radio. For more information, see http://www.ariss.org

MediaContact:

DaveJordan, AA4KN

ARISSPR

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