An International Space Station Expedition 18 ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, Ann Arbor, Michigan USA on 27 December. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 1559 UTC.
The contact will be a direct between stations NA1SS and WA2HOM. The contact should be audible over most of N. America. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.
The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum is 40,000 square feet of science, math and fun located in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan. Opening in 1982, the Museum has welcomed over 3.5 million guests, averaging 200,000 guests annually. The Museum has received national recognition by the National Science Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Association of Science and Technology Centers. Named Best Museum in 2003 by The Detroit Free Press, The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum is consistently rated the Best Kids' Activity in the annual "Best of Ann Arbor" list.
Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:
1. How long is day and night up in space? 2. How do you wash your clothes, bodies and teeth in space? 3. What type of food do you eat? 4. What work are you currently doing in space? 5. How do you exercise in space? 6. Have you gone outside the space station yet? 7. How long are your work shifts, and what do you do during your free time? 8. Do you make oxygen there? How do you breathe? 9. How does it feel to come back into the earth's atmosphere? 10. How long can one stay in the ISS? 11. Can the ISS function unmanned or is the continual presence of the crew essential? 12. Where do you get electricity from in the station? 13. What is the best part of your job? 14. What is the most amazing thing that you have seen from space? 15. How can you tell if it is day or night in space when you are inside the ISS? 16. Is there a limit of how many days a person can live on the ISS and stay in space? 17. What was the first thing you did when you got into space? 18. How long does it take to get from Earth to the ISS? 19. Is there a limiting age to become an astronaut? 20. Do plants grow differently in space and how do you water them?
Information about the upcoming ARISS contacts can be found at http://www.ariss.org/upcoming.htm#NextContact .
Next planned event(s): Technopolis, Mechelen, Antwerpen, Belgium, telebridge via VK4KHZ, Sat 2009-01-03 10:35 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, Kenneth - N5VHO