An International Space Station Expedition 18 ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at Armada Area Schools, Armada, Michigan, USA on 24 October. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 1709 UTC.
The contact will be a direct contact between stations NA1SS and K8UO. 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.
Armada Area Schools is located 30 miles north of Detroit in Macomb County, Michigan. The district covers approximately 74 square miles. The area is basically a rural "bedroom" community with agriculture serving as the primary source of income for 6% of the district's households. The village of Armada is the main business and service center in the school district.
Armada Area Schools provides a comprehensive curriculum for students with varied interests and abilities. Coupled with highly qualified teachers and administrators, attention to student needs, and an emphasis on professional development, state assessment test scores are consistently among the highest in Macomb County.
Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. What kind of fuel does the space shuttle use? 2. If there isn't a space shuttle available, do you have an escape plan if you have to evacuate the space station? 3. How big is the space station and how large will it be when it is finished? 4. Are you able to watch television on the space station? 5. How do you deal with the after effects of living in a weightless environment for extended periods of time? 6. How hot does it get inside the space shuttle during re-entry? 7. What supplies do you need in space? 8. If I wanted to go into the field of aerospace, what would I have to do now to fulfill this goal? 9. How many people can live on the space station at one time? 10. What do you miss most when you are in space? 11. What is going through your mind as you are traveling away from Earth? 12. Are you able to see weather changes that happen on Earth from the space station? 13. How much fuel does the space shuttle hold? 14. Will the space station survive if something happens to the Earth? 15. How often do they change astronauts on the space station? 16. Who or what inspired you to be an astronaut? 17. How does NASA choose which astronauts will go on a mission? 18. How long does it take to get to the space station and once you are there how would you get inside? 19. What personal items are you allowed to bring with you in space? 20. How are you able to wash your hands or take a shower in space?
Information about the upcoming ARISS contacts can be found at http://www.ariss.org/upcoming.htm#NextContact .
Next planned event(s): Scuola Media Statale Donato Forlani, Conversano, Italy, direct via IZ7MKW, Tue 2008-10-28 09:37 UTC
Santa Teresa del Bambin Gesù, Rome, Italy,direct via IK0US0, Thu 2008-10-30 08:51 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