An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Zespol Szkol nr 8, Walbrzych, Poland on 04 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:42 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and W6SRJ. The contact should be audible over the west coast of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.
The Polytechnic school in Walbrzych has been established in 1946. These days it is well known as Secondary Complex School "Energetyk", where participate over 900 students. They learn in such directions as: electrician, electro-mechanics, electronics, technician graphic, technician telecommunications, technician IT, technician ITC, technician organization of advertising. The school is designed for people with disabilities, educates on a very high-level, and graduate students can easily find employment. It is the best technical school in Walbrzych.
Apart from everyday teaching, school offers many other activities. The Shooting section continuously works for sixty years, and takes leading positions in "The Silver Muskets" contest. Since three years students take part in Robotics Group, where acquiring knowledge and have a lot of fun, when builds robots from scratch, according to their own ideas and knowledge. Several times they have won a place on the podium in prestigious competitions on an International scale. There is also the school band "Underland". The band is well-known in Walbrzych because they give a lot of concerts, in the city and around them. In school is active "Energol TV" and school newspaper "Alcatraz 2".
At school is located amateur radio club SP6PBA, which beside communications with HAM operators from all over the World, transmitting HAM TV in 1.2 GHz band.
Participants will ask as many of the following questions (translated) as time allows:
1. What is the difference between an astronaut and a cosmonaut?
2. How does it feel to be weightless?
3. How long does it take to get accustomed to gravity after returning to
Earth from the ISS?
4. Are large structures on the Earth such as the Chinese wall or the
artificial islands in Dubai visible from the ISS? What else?
5. Is eating in weightlessness difficult?
6. How do you spend your free time on the station?
7. Has the crew got any health problems related to being in space?
8. What kind of everyday tasks and what kind of experiments do you perform
on the ISS?
9. How did it happen that you became an astronaut? Did you dream about it as
a child?
10. Do you keep in touch with your family when you are in space?
11. Are you provided with media such as phone, Internet, radio or TV?
12. Is the rubbish thrown out into space or brought back to Earth?
13. Which planets of our solar system apart from Earth can you see through
the window in Cupola module?
14. Is it hard to take care of personal hygiene in the absence of gravity?
15. How long does the trip from lift-off until docking at the ISS last?
16. How long does an astronaut's mission training last?
17. How did you celebrate the beginning of 2012 on the station and which time
zone did you have to adjust to?
Information about the upcoming ARISS contacts can be found at http://www.ariss.org/upcoming.htm#NextContact.
Next planned event(s):
1. Inuksuk High School, Iqaluit Nunavut, Canada, telebridge via AH6NM
Wed, 08 Feb 2012, 15:10 UTC
2. Soumuta Elementary School, Kagoshima, Japan, direct via TBD
Sat, 11 Feb 2012, 10:29 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