Space Day this year is this Saturday, May 3 from 10 AM to 3 PM at the downtown National Air and Space Museum location. This year, ARISS/AMSAT will have our exhibit in the new "America byAir" gallery, Gallery 102 on the first floor, just past the Museum Store before you reach the Flight Simulators.

Below is an NASM press release. The theme this year is NASA's50th Anniversary, and the press release lists as a highlight, an amateur radiocontact with the ISS. Will Marchant, KC6ROL reports that the program introducing the contact begins at 11:40 AM, Astronaut Dr. Lee Merin will present an overview at 11:50, and actual ISS AOS is at 12:10 PM.

If you've never seen an ARISS ISS contact, this is an excellent opportunity that once witnessed first-hand, you're not likely to forget! We'll also have ARISS and AMSAT hardware on display for Space Day from 10 to 3. And we're hoping to have Mr. Kemp and students from his Systems Engineering Class at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. They'll explain their progress on their Cubesat project and show some hardware.

This is an especially exciting week with the launch on Monday of six Cubesats using amateur radio frequencies, on an Indian rocket. The satellites were built by university student teams in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan (2), and the Netherlands. ARRL's story is at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/04/28/10067/?nc=1

Try to travel via Metro (L'Enfant Plaza Station, Maryland Ave. Exit. Orange, Yellow, Blue or Green lines). There's a Nationals game at the new Ballpark Saturday beginning at 1:05 PM, so traffic is likely to be unpredictable.

I hope you can join us!

73, Perry, W3PK cell: (202) 438-8830

Press Release April 21, 2008 Public information: 202-633-1000

Celebrate Space Day at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

Visitorsof all ages are invited for a galactic adventure at the National Air and Space Museum ’s annual Space Day Saturday, May 3,celebrating NASA’s 50th anniversary this year.

Space Daywill feature a busy schedule of astronaut appearances; live performances by theaward-winning a cappella group The Chromatics; an interactive space quiz; LEGOdisplays of real and imagined space vehicles by WAMALUG (Washington Metro AreaUsers Group), NASA and National Air and Space Museum scientists; and tours and stories forchildren. Among the day’s highlights will be alive contact via amateur radio with the International Space Station at 11:30 a.m. Astronaut Garrett Reisman willbe available to answer students' and young visitors' questions for an hour.

SpaceDay, created in 1997 by Lockheed Martin, is designed to encouragestudents to consider careers in space exploration as they study math, science,engineering and technology. Lockheed Martin sponsors Space Day eventsacross the United States andCanada , with morethan 70 partners and associates, including the National Air and Space Museum and NASA. Organizationsoffering activity stations at the museum include NASA,the Northern Virginia Association of Rocketry, Team America Rocketry, AMSAT-Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation andWashington Metro Area Users Group.

The National Air and Space Museum building on the National Mall in Washington , D.C. , is located at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. The museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly , Va. , near Washington Dulles International Airport . Both facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (Closed Dec. 25)Admission is free, but there is a $12 fee for parking at the Udvar-Hazy Center .