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