An International Space Station Expedition 18 ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at Sewickley Academy, Sewickley, PA, USA on 12 March. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 1552 UTC.
The contact will be a telebridge between stations NA1SS and WH6PN. The contact should be audible over Hawaii. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. Audio from the contact should also be available via the AMSAT conference on EchoLink and via the 9010 Discovery reflector on IRLP. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.
Founded in 1838, Sewickley Academy is Pittsburgh's oldest independent school, enrolling approximately 800 students prekindergarten through grade 12. A premier coeducational, college-preparatory day school, the Academy prepares its students for a lifetime of success by inspiring them to reach their full potential as curious, courageous and compassionate learners.
The participants will be 5th graders who's science curriculum pretty much focused on space from October to January, with each student doing a project on a planet. Last month, they simulated a NASA space mission where they were in charge of finding a missing space ship. Students began preparing for their space mission weeks ahead of time in their classrooms. They studied the planets and their moons so they would be familiar with navigating the solar system, and they practiced the necessary multiplication tables and plotting and decoding skills in math class and science lab. Finally, the students designed their "official" mission patches in their computer lab.
Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. Do you see clouds move in the air from space? 2. How do you control yourself when there isn't any gravity? 3. How do you prepare to go from Earth to space and then back? 4. How do you exercise and how long do you exercise? 5. Have you ever seen something undiscovered by humans in space? 6. Who inspired you to be an astronaut? 7. Is there electricity in space and how do you get the energy? 8. Can you explain how you prepare for a space walk? 9. When new parts are being sent into space, how do you attach them to the Space Center? 10. What does it feel like to float in space? 11. What does it feel like to sleep on the wall and can you tell that you are not lying flat down? 12. How do you brush your teeth in space? 13. How do you take a shower? 14. What do you do in your spare time in space? 15. How has your life changed since you have become an astronaut? 16. How does the sun look in space? 17. How does the food taste in space? 18. Since there is no gravity, can you please explain some cool tricks you can do?
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, Kenneth - N5VHO