August 2009 - Sarex (INACTIVE)

2009-08-31 ARISS Status
by Carol Jackson 31 Aug '09

31 Aug '09

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report August 31, 2009 1. Upcoming School Contacts Craigmore High School in Blakeview, South Australia, Australia has been scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Wednesday, September 2 at 00:48 UTC. The school is located approximately 35 Km north of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It encourages participation in projects sponsored by the government and private industry and has established an amateur radio station at the school. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Vrije Basisschool in De Haan, Belgium on Thursday, September 3 at 07:42 UTC via telebridge station VK4HZ in Australia. This is an ESA Event. Children who will speak to Frank De Winne have been chosen through participation in an ESA competition. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for ESA/European Space Operation Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany on Friday, September 4 at 20:10 UTC via telebridge station LU8YY in Argentina. The contact is planned during an open day event, "The Long Night of the Stars," and 3000 visitors are expected. The event will bring space science and space operations in an audio visual show to the visitors. The event will have presentations, demonstrations of space operations, real satellite hardware and children and student oriented attractions like building and launching of small paper rockets. There will be semi-professional telescopes made available on site for direct viewing of the stars. 2. ARISS Contact Between Michael Barratt and Tenison Woods College On Monday, August 24, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between Tenison Woods College in Mount Gambier, South Australia and Michael Barratt, KD5MIJ, on the ISS. Telebridge station W6DUE in Maryland provided the link-up. Over 100 attended the event. Two television stations, one commercial television station and one Amateur TV as well as the regional newspaper and ABC radio provided news coverage. 3. Volkssterrenwacht Urania Participates in ARISS Contact with De Winne Students visiting Volkssterrenwacht Urania in Hove, Antwerp, Belgium experienced an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact on Monday, August 24 via telebridge station VK4KHZ in Australia. ESA Astronaut Frank De Winne, ON1DWN answered twenty questions posed to him by the students. An audience of approximately 150 attended the event including representatives from one radio station, one television station and a newspaper. Urania is a public observatory which provides lessons for children ages 7 - 16. 4. ARRL Article on STS-128 Crew The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) posted an article on the STS-128 crewmembers. "Space Shuttle Discovery to Launch with Three Hams on Board" may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/08/25/11038/?nc=1 The story was also included in the ARRL Letter: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/09/0828/ 5. ARRL Article on ARISS Satellite The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) covered Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) news in its story, "SuitSat-2 Now Called ARISSat-1." See: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/08/26/11039/?nc=1 There are approximately 100,000 regular readers of the ARRL Web site. The article also ran in the ARRL Letter (circulation of approximately 77,000). See: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/09/0828/ 6. ARISS News on Amateur Radio Newsline On August 28, Amateur Radio Newsline Report 1672 reported two Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) news items. To view "Ham Radio in Space: SuitSat 2 now ARISSat-1" and "That Final Item: The Story of the Man who Trains Astronauts to be Hams," see: ftp://ftp.arnewsline.org/quincy/News-A/news.txt 7. Astronaut Training Status Astronauts Timothy Creamer, KC5WKI and Soichi Noguchi, KD5TVP are scheduled for an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) training session on Wednesday, September 9. Calgary school children will participate in the session.

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Craigmore High School, Blakeview, South Australia
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 31 Aug '09

31 Aug '09

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Craigmore High School, Blakeview, South Australia, Australia on 2 September. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 00:48 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and VK5LZ. The contact should be audible parts of Australia. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English. Craigmore High School is approximately 35 Km north of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is a comprehensive school for students from Year 8 to Year 12 with an age range from 12 to 17. The students are predominantly from an English speaking background. However recently a number of refugees, mainly from Africa, have enrolled at the school. We have a student enrollment of approximately 950 with 80 staff. Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. Why doesn't the space station spin to produce artificial gravity similar to earth's gravity? Would this make life aboard more comfortable? 2. If you cut yourself in space would you bleed more than you would on Earth? How often have astronauts had accidents that result in bleeding? 3. How long can you stay in the space station, who has stayed the longest so far and how long was that? 4. Is it possible to bathe and keep clean on the space station? 5. Does the station have rockets to boost it's speed to remain in orbit or is it gradually slowing down and losing height? 6. How do you deal with medical emergencies and how long would it take to get help from Earth? Can you perform operations on the station? 7. What experiments are you running at the moment and are they running as expected? 8. What is the most amazing experience you have had since being on the station? 9. How do you manage to stay in bed? 10 If you are in space for a long period of time, what effects does it have on you? 11. What activities do you do on board to prevent boredom? 12. Before joining NASA what other occupations did you consider and do you think that becoming an astronaut was the right choice? 13. How long will it be before the space station is complete? 14. What are the dangers in being an astronaut? 15. How long will the station remain in orbit? 16. Can you eat normally in space? 17. How hard is life in space? 18. Have you ever seen the asteroid belt? 19. Have you seen any evidence of other life? 20. What would you do if there was a medical emergency on the station? 21. How do you brush your hair? 22. How do you go to the toilet? Information about the upcoming ARISS contacts can be found at http://www.ariss.org/upcoming.htm#NextContact. Next planned event(s): 1. Vrije Basisschool, De Haan, Belgium Thu 3Sep09 07:43 UTC 2. ESA/ESOC Long Night of the Stars, Darmstadt, Germany Fri 4Sep09 20:11 UTC ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries. ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on-board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada). Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN

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Discovery / External Tank Visual - Aug 29th
by Pete 29 Aug '09

29 Aug '09

..... a beautiful sighting of Discovery, very closely followed ( by just over a Moons diameter or approx 30 mins of arc) by its external tank ( slightly below the shuttle and a definite 'orangey' in colour), this morning from the UK at about 0420 UTC....

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2009-08-25 05:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 25 Aug '09

25 Aug '09

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2009-08-25 05:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Tenison Woods College, Mount Gambier, South Australia, Australia, telebridge via K6DUE Contact was successful: Mon 2009-08-24 07:19:09 UTC 33 deg (***) Volkssterrenwacht Urania, Hove, Antwerp, Belgium, telebridge via VK4KHZ Contact was successful: Mon 2009-08-24 11:30:49 UTC 50 deg VK4KHZ (***) Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 468. (***) Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 27. QSL information may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RS0ISS **************************************************************************** ** The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2009-08-25 05:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf (note change of file type) The successful school list has been updated as of 2009-08-25 05:00 UTC. (***) http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf **************************************************************************** There have been rumors in the past indicating that the ISS was having direct contacts on the 40 meter band. There is no HF radio equipment on board and available yet. The HF antenna is mounted. Sometimes WA3NAN will retransmit shuttle audio. **************************************************************************** Exp. 19 on orbit: Gennady Padalka RN3DT Michael Barratt KD5MIJ Timothy Kopra KE5UDN Exp. 20 on orbit: Roman Romanenko Frank De Winne ON1DWN Robert Thirsk VA3CSA **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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2009-08-24 ARISS Status
by Carol Jackson 24 Aug '09

24 Aug '09

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Status Report August 24, 2009 1. Upcoming School Contacts An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been approved for Tenison Woods College in Mount Gambier, South Australia. The contact is scheduled for Monday, August 24 at 07:19 UTC via telebridge station W6DUE in Maryland. The contact has been integrated into the curriculum's astronomy and physics units through participation in hands-on activities. An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact has been scheduled for Volkssterrenwacht Urania in Hove, Antwerp, Belgium on Monday, August 24 at 11:30 UTC via telebridge station VK4KHZ in Australia. Urania is a public observatory that raises public awareness of astronomy, meteorology and astronautics. A range of activities and services are available: lessons for beginners and the experienced, guided tours of the observatory, an extended documentation center, various publications, stargazing evenings, conferences, Urania Mobile (Flanders' first mobile observatory) and the astroshop. This "Space Talk" will boost activities at the start of the new season. 2. Timothy Kopra Participates in ARISS Contact with KIPP:3D Academy On Thursday, August 20, the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP:3D) Academy in Houston, Texas participated in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact with Timothy Kopra, KE5UDN via telebridge station W6SRJ in California. All 18 prepared questions were answered with time for an additional two. The audio was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT and JK1ZRW conference room servers. 3. ARISS Contact Held with Peruvian University On Thursday, August 20, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact was held between Gennady Padalka, RN3DT on the ISS and participants in the international forum to discuss small satellite development and launch projects, held at the Peruvian National University of Lima in Lima, Peru. Participants were delegates from different South American countries and technical university representatives from foreign countries. Among the participants was the Kursk State Technical University delegate, Valery Pikkiev, who developed a space experiment for SuitSat-2 (ARISSat-1). 4. Successful ARISS Contact with Scouts of Maur The international year of astronomy inspired a few scout guides from Maur near Zürich, Switzerland, to create a special scout event, the Astrocamp 2009, where participants learn about astronomy and space technology, communication technologies, journalism and public relations. One of the activities scheduled for the event was an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact between the Girl and Boy Scouts of Maur "Pfadimuur," and Frank De Winne, ON1DWN on the ISS. The contact took place on Saturday, August 22. Twelve questions were answered as an audience of approximately 100 listened. Scouts, mass-media representatives, parents and interested parties were present. Television channel TELETOP, radio stations DRS-3, DRS-1 Regional, Radio Energy, Radio 24, Radio Zürichsee and the newspaper Sonntagsblick covered the event. The audio was fed into the EchoLink AMSAT and JK1ZRW conference room servers. 5. Thirsk Participates in ARISS Contact with Nova East Star Party On Saturday, August 22, an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact took place between the Nova East Star Party, sponsored by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Halifax Center in Nova Scotia, Canada and Robert Thirsk, VA3CSA, on the ISS. Four hundred people witnessed the contact as Thirsk answered the 18 questions posed to him. Bell Aliant was present to record the event. The Nova East Star Party is Atlantic Canada's oldest and largest Star Party which draws both professional as well as amateur astronomers from the Atlantic Provinces, Quebec, Eastern Ontario and the New England States. The focus of the event is public outreach and education. Through daytime seminars and workshops and evening observing sessions, the public is introduced to the wonders of the night sky. 6. ARISS International Team Meeting Held An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) teleconference was held on Wednesday, August 19. SuitSat-2 (now ARISSat-1) was among the topics discussed. The minutes have been posted to the ARISS Web site. See: http://www.rac.ca/ariss/arisstel2009-08-19.htm 7. Make Magazine Posts SuitSat Article Make Magazine published an article on Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) project, SuitSat-2 (now ARISSat-1). To view the story, go to: http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/suitsat_hacking_for_outer_space.ht…

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25th Anniversary Certificate
by Phil - w2lie 24 Aug '09

24 Aug '09

I had a real nice surprise in the mailbox this afternoon... My 25th Anniversary of Amateur Radio in Space Certificate finally arrived. I must say, it was well worth the wait and the artwork is amazing! For all those who are still waiting their certificate, here is a scanned image: http://www.w2lie.net/e107_plugins/gallery2/gallery2.php?g2_itemId=14107 73 Phil / w2lie -- www.w2lie.net Long Island Live Scanner Feeds and Forums.

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2009-08-23 07:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 23 Aug '09

23 Aug '09

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2009-08-23 07:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: Girl and Boy Scouts of Maur: “Pfadimuur”, Forch, Switzerland, direct via HB9TSO Contact was successful: Sat 2009-08-22 08:20:04 UTC 26 deg (***) Nova East Star Party, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Halifax Center, NS, Canada, direct via VE1MR Contact was successful: Sat 2009-08-22 12:54:08 UTC 47 deg (***) Tenison Woods College, Mount Gambier, South Australia, Australia, telebridge via K6DUE Contact is a go for: Mon 2009-08-24 07:19:09 UTC 33 deg Watch for Echolink and IRLP Volkssterrenwacht Urania, Hove, Antwerp, Belgium, telebridge via VK4KHZ Contact is a go for: Mon 2009-08-24 11:30:49 UTC 50 deg VK4KHZ Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 466. (***) Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 27. QSL information may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RS0ISS **************************************************************************** ** The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2009-08-23 07:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf (note change of file type) The successful school list has been updated as of 2009-08-23 07:00 UTC. (***) http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf **************************************************************************** There have been rumors in the past indicating that the ISS was having direct contacts on the 40 meter band. There is no HF radio equipment on board and available yet. The HF antenna is mounted. Sometimes WA3NAN will retransmit shuttle audio. **************************************************************************** Exp. 19 on orbit: Gennady Padalka RN3DT Michael Barratt KD5MIJ Timothy Kopra KE5UDN Exp. 20 on orbit: Roman Romanenko Frank De Winne ON1DWN Robert Thirsk VA3CSA **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222846709x1201493018/aol?redir=htt… =JulystepsfooterNO115)

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The ISS and you.
by Tony, VK5ZAI 22 Aug '09

22 Aug '09

I think everyone should remember that it is the "International Space Station" and NOT the "International AMATEUR (HAM) Space Station". As it was on Mir it's a privilege that we have ham radio gear on board the ISS. The majority of crews that have flown have been very active with the ARISS educational linkups that we've had, encouraging students to explore the fields of ham radio, science, and similar activities. Perhaps there are some that should think about the education of our future generation rather than just themselves. Unfortunately some folk never seem to be happy unless they get exactly what they want when they want it. The crews on the ISS are not under any obligation to use the ham gear if they choose not to. They are employed like most of us and are expected to do their days work, and are not paid for playing ham radio. Since year 2000 we have had random voice contacts, Packet, SSTV, X-band repeater, over 450 school contacts and Suit-Sat with another launch expected next year. That's not a bad effort. A lot may not know, to get ham or any other equipment approved for flight on the ISS it must be type tested. This is a lengthy and tedious process that can't be achieved overnight. Lou and the engineering team with ARISS have done a great job and knowing what I do, I fail to see how they can be criticized. I first became involved with manned space flight in 1992 and have been involved ever since so I feel I have a right to comment. I have done many more "scheduled" telebridge linkups with Mir and the ISS than I've had personal QSO's with the crews over the years. ARISS is a great team to work with, but it's many hours of hard work scheduling school contacts, it means many hours of paper work, scheduling one's own social life around ARISS commitments and being called up in the middle of the night to handle a telebridge contact for a school on the other side of the world. Above all it means 100% reliability. I can assure all, there is very little personal ham radio involved. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, if I didn't have the time (retired now) or enjoy the work I'm doing I wouldn't do it. I see a big difference between Mir and the ISS , Mir had a crew of generally 2 sometimes 3 and construction was completed by the time I became involved. The ISS is still being built meaning a lot of extra work for the crews. The way I see it is that with only one other person to talk with in 6 months (as on Mir) it would be nice to have ham radio to make other contacts, but with 5 or 6 people on board, as on the ISS now to share your conversation with the desire to use ham radio wouldn't be as great. To add to this the ISS now has an IP phone on board that can link the crew back to earth any time or place so they can have a personal chat to their friends. I don't believe this facility was available on Mir and was not available on the ISS for the first couple of years. Because of this changing situation I would think that only those with an interest in radio would feel compelled to make random QSO's now they have more on board to socialize with during their leisure time. I hope I'm wrong, but put yourself in the same situation! Remember, (1) Not everyone likes ham radio, most astronauts obtain their ham license shortly before they fly as a backup means of communications. (2) They don't get paid for ham radio activities so surely they have the right choice for themselves when and where they wish to use it. (3) Despite all crew members being highly trained in their field of work, they are not necessarily conversant with the ham radio on board and not be capable of changing to the various modes that we would like at times. (4) Be thankful that we have radio on board at all. Finally I would like to congratulate Frank on his past leadership, and all the hours many others put into ARISS to make it the success it is. I don't feel anyone can justify knocking the work that ARISS has done. -- Regards Tony. VK5ZAI J.A.(Tony)Hutchison P.O.Box 470 Kingston SE South Australia 5275 National ARISS Co-ordinator and Satellite Earth Station. Web Site :- http://www.electric-web.org Also click on :- http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=%22vk5zai%22&btnG=Google+Search&met…

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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2009-08-21 05:00 UTC
by AJ9N＠aol.com 21 Aug '09

21 Aug '09

Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2009-08-21 05:00 UTC Quick list of scheduled contacts and events: KIPP: 3D Academy, Houston, Texas, telebridge via W6SRJ Contact was successful Thu 2009-08-20 18:16:26 UTC 50 deg (***) Girl and Boy Scouts of Maur: “Pfadimuur”, Forch, Switzerland, direct via HB9TSO Contact is a go for: Sat 2009-08-22 08:20:04 UTC 26 deg Watch for Echolink Nova East Star Party, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Halifax Center, NS, Canada, direct via VE1MR Contact is a go for: Sat 2009-08-22 12:54:08 UTC 47 deg Watch the contact via streaming video at http://www.bellaliant.net/SpaceStation Watch for Echolink Tenison Woods College, Mount Gambier, South Australia, Australia, telebridge via K6DUE Contact is a go for: Mon 2009-08-24 07:19:09 UTC 33 deg Watch for Echolink and IRLP Volkssterrenwacht Urania, Hove, Antwerp, Belgium, telebridge via VK4KHZ Contact is a go for: Mon 2009-08-24 11:30:49 UTC 50 deg VK4KHZ Total number of ARISS ISS to earth school contacts is 463. (***) Total number of ARISS supported terrestrial contacts is 27. QSL information may be found at: http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/arissfaq.html http://www.rac.ca/ariss/oindex.htm#QSL's ISS callsigns: DP0ISS, NA1SS, OR4ISS, RS0ISS **************************************************************************** ** The complete schedule page has been updated as of 2009-08-21 05:00 UTC. (***) Here you will find a listing of all scheduled school contacts, and questions, other ISS related websites, IRLP and Echolink websites, and instructions for any contact that may be streamed live. http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/arissnews.rtf (note change of file type) The successful school list has been updated as of 2009-08-21 05:00 UTC. (***) http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/Successful_ARISS_schools.rtf Frequency chart for packet, voice, and crossband repeater modes showing Doppler correction as of 2005-07-29 04:00 UTC http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ISS_frequencies_and_Doppler_correction .rtf Listing of ARISS related magazine articles as of 2006-07-10 03:30 UTC: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/ariss/news/ARISS_magazine_articles.rtf **************************************************************************** There have been rumors in the past indicating that the ISS was having direct contacts on the 40 meter band. There is no HF radio equipment on board and available yet. The HF antenna is mounted. Sometimes WA3NAN will retransmit shuttle audio. **************************************************************************** Exp. 19 on orbit: Gennady Padalka RN3DT Michael Barratt KD5MIJ Timothy Kopra KE5UDN Exp. 20 on orbit: Roman Romanenko Frank De Winne ON1DWN Robert Thirsk VA3CSA **************************************************************************** 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors

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Upcoming ARISS contact with Volkssterrenwacht Urania, Hove, Antwerp, Belgium
by n4csitwo＠bellsouth.net 21 Aug '09

21 Aug '09

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Volkssterrenwacht Urania, Hove, Antwerp, Belgium, on 24 August. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 11:30 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and VK4KHZ. The contact should be audible over parts of Australia. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in Dutch. Flanders has five public observatories involved in the discovery of the wonderful world of astronomy. Urania is one of them. During antiquity, Urania was the Astronomy Muse. Today, Urania is trying to inspire people with astronomy and side sciences such as meteorology and astronautics. You can thus choose between a whole range of activities and services: lessons for beginners and experienced, guided tours of the observatory, an extended documentation center, various publications, stargazing evenings, conferences, Urania Mobile (Flanders' first mobile observatory) and the astroshop. This "Space Talk" will boost activities at the start of the new season. Participants will ask as many of the following questions (translated) as time allows: 1. Wat ging er in je om vlak voor je vertrek? What was your feeling just before launch? 2. Waar ben je eigenlijk het liefst, op aarde of in de ruimte? Where do you prefer to be, on earth or in space? 3. Slaapt jij in de ruimte ook als wij hier in België slapen? Do you sleep in space the same way we do on earth? 4. Kunnen jullie in de ruimte even goed ruiken en smaken als op de aarde? Can you smell and taste in space as well as on earth? 5. Wordt er aan boord van het ISS nog steeds gewerkt met een solid fuel oxygen generator? Do you still use a solid fuel oxygen generator aboard ISS? 6. Zitten er in het ISS vliegen of muggen? Are there flies or mosquitos in the ISS? 7. Wat eten jullie allemaal in de ruimte? What do you eat in space? 8. Heb je veel planeten gezien? Did you see lots of planets? 9. Zie je sterren naast de zon? Can you see stars close to the sun? 10. Is er ooit al een glazen voorwerp gebroken in het ISS? Has glass ever been broken aboard the ISS? 11. Waarom kan je zweven in het ruimtestation? Why can you float aboard the space station? 12. Kan je van daarboven zien of het bij ons bliksemt ? En wat zie je dan ? Can you see from space if there are thunderstorms on earth? What do you see? 13. Hoe kan jij je douchen in het ruimtestation als het water er gewoon gaat rondzweven? How can you take a shower in the space station, where water will float around? 14. Wat doe je als je ruzie hebt met een andere Kosmonaut/Astronaut? What do you do if you have an argument with a cosmonaut or astronaut? 15. Voel je de trillingen tijdens de lancering van de raket? Did you feel vibrations during the rocket launch? 16. Als we naar planeten kunnen reizen, naar welke zou je het liefst gaan en waarom? If we could travel to planets, which one would you prefer to visit, why? 17. Hoe mooi is de Aarde, wat ziet u allemaal? How beautiful is the earth? What do you see actually? 18. Wat doe je met je afval? Neem je dat terug mee naar de aarde of gooi je dat in de ruimte? What do you do with waste? Do you take it back to earth or do you get rid of it in space? 19. Wat gebeurd er als een astronaut zwaar gekwetst wordt en bloed? What happens if an astronaut gets severely hurt and is bleeding? 20. Wat gebeurt er als een stuk metaal tegen het ISS botst? What happens if a piece of metal impacts the ISS? Information about the upcoming ARISS contacts can be found at http://www.ariss.org/upcoming.htm#NextContact. Next planned event(s): TBD ARISS is an international educational outreach program partnering the participating space agencies, NASA, Russian Space Agency, ESA, CNES, JAXA, and CSA, with the AMSAT and IARU organizations from participating countries. ARISS offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking directly with crewmembers on-board the International Space Station. Teachers, parents and communities see, first hand, how Amateur Radio and crewmembers on ISS can energize youngsters' interest in science, technology, and learning. Further information on the ARISS program is available on the website http://www.ariss.org/ (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada). Thank you & 73, David - AA4KN

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