An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Dumbleyung Primary School, Dumbleyung, Western Australia, Australia on 26 Nov. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 11:51 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and VK4KHZ. The contact should be audible over portions of Australia. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.
Dumbleyung Primary is a small Level 3 school catering for students from Kindergarten to Year 7 located in the town of Dumbleyung in the Narrogin District. Our mission at Dumbleyung Primary School is to provide opportunities in a safe and secure environment that enable students to develop their potential socially, academically, emotionally, physically and creatively. In addition to regular teaching and learning programs the school has a number of special initiatives including a Student Council and Leadership Program; a Gym in Schools Program; Japanese lessons via videoconferencing and online delivery; specialist Art and Music teachers and a Students at Educational Risk (SAER) program.
Dumbleyung is a small rural community located 267km south east of Perth in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia and has a population of 632 people. Dumbleyung is known for its grain and livestock production and various biodiversity industries.
The name Dumbleyung is thought to be derived from the Aboriginal word 'Dambeling' meaning large lake or sea. Pioneers arrived in the district in 1875 and established their farms out of virgin bush. The Dumbleyung area was first traversed by the explorers Landor and Lefroy in 1843, but it was more than 30 years later pastoralists, sandalwooders and overlanders began the settlement of the area.
A prominent feature of the area is Lake Dumbleyung. The first recorded sighting of Lake Dumbleyung was in 1843 by explorers, Landor and Lefroy. It is the largest open lake in Western Australia's southwest at 13km in length and 6.5km wide, covering an area of 5200 hectares. Despite the extreme salinity recorded, the lake continues to provide a habitat for many varieties of water birds. Lake Dumbleyung received world recognition when Donald Campbell broke the world water speed record on 31 December 1964 travelling at 276.3 miles per hour in his boat 'Bluebird'. A unique granite memorial to Donald Campbell can be seen at Pussy Cat Hill, a prominent feature and vantage point to view the entire lake area.
Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:
1. Describe what it is like with no gravity. 2. Why are you in space? What are you looking for? 3. About how long do you think your trip to space and back will take? 4. How do you fix the space craft in space if it gets damaged? 5. Have you ever visited any planets in space and are there any
special features you discovered? 6. Where would you rather be, up in space or here on Earth and why? 7. Have you ever sent up any sort of animal with you to space? 8. What do you eat and how do you eat it? 9. What does it feel like when you take off? 10. How fast does the space ship travel in space? 11. Did you want to be part of the NASA program when you were a kid? 12. Have you seen any meteorites during your travels through space? 13. Can you see any planets clearly from where you are? 14. Can you see any space junk right now? 15. Can you hear any noise in space? 16. What caused the big bang? 17. What is your favourite part of living in space? 18. Can you see all the weather changes that occur on Earth? 19. Can you see volcanoes erupting from space? 20. Do you believe there is life beyond Earth? 21. If you cut your skin, how does your blood flow?
Information about the upcoming ARISS contacts can be found at http://www.ariss.org/upcoming.htm#NextContact.
Next planned event(s):
1. Institut Don Bosco, Bruxelles, Belgium,
Thu 26 Nov 09 12:49 UTC
2. Katholieke Centrumscholen Sint-Truiden (KCST), Sint-Truiden, Belgium, Thu 26 Nov 09 14:24 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