An International Space Station Expedition 14 ARISS school contact has been planned with students at Centre Hastings Secondary, Madoc, Ontario, Canada on Monday 20 Nov. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 16:35 UTC.
The contact will be a direct between stations NA1SS and VE3UR. The contact should be audible to anyone in eastern portions of Canada and the Northeastern USA . Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. Additional listening options are listed below. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.
IRLP - Connect to the IRLP reflector 9010. You may also connect via the IRLP Discovery website at http://www.discoveryreflector.ca/listen.htm.
EchoLink - The audio from this contact will be available on the EchoLink *AMSAT* (node 101 377) and the *JK1ZRW* (node 277 208) conference rooms. Please connect to the *JK1ZRW* server to keep the load light on the *AMSAT* server. This will ensure good audio quality for all listeners.
Students will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:
1. With each supply shipment to the ISS sending more water from Earth, we are taking away a precious resource. A colony on the moon would need lots of water which would be obtained from our finite supply on Earth. Will this water be returned or is it lost forever? 2. With business tycoons like Richard Branson looking to expand their companies into the cosmos via commercialized space travel, has it now been decided that space travel is to become a routine commercial practice? 3. The Canadian Space Agency and NASA are have you testing your hand eye co-ordination on the shuttle. Do you play video games on the ISS as well as doing this experiment? 4. Chris Hadfield was calm when he told us about the Russian Progress 23 cargo ship having difficulties docking with the ISS and the ISS losing power. Are all astronauts that calm when under pressure? 5. What is your favourite song to play on the guitar while on the ISS? 6. Mr. Hadfield told us Russian bread has a four year shelf life. Does it taste the same after 4 years of not being eaten? 7. Your mission has 4 EVA'S. Have you ever stood on the end of Canadarm2? 8. Luke Skywalker fought a spherical droid in Star Wars. Are the two SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) on the ISS like pets to you? 9. Can you see heaven from the ISS? 10. If you got appendicitis aboard the ISS what can you do about it? 11. You are doing a study related to immune function and virus activity. Has an astronaut or cosmonaut ever fallen ill while aboard the ISS, and if so what health measures were taken? 12. In your personal opinion do you believe that there is or ever was, life on other planets, such as Mars? 13. On the ISS, are there any communication problems between the crew due to language and cultural differences? 14. When the Progress cargo ship was docking, you had a problem with the antenna. ARISS became your mode of communication to Earth. How did you fix the antenna retraction problem? 15. Mr. Hadfield said he brought a guitar to the ISS. Does it go out of tune more in space than Earth? 16. How do you protect yourself from germs with limited amounts of water on the ISS? On Earth we handwash. 17. SPHERES are like Tamagotchis. Do the red and blue ones shut down when you go to bed? 18. When you look out the window of the ISS do you see the planets and which one is your favourite? 19. You 're measuring the exposure of cosmic radiation of your crew. Are you concerned about getting cancer? 20. You are trying to grow lentil seeds in artificial gravity. Have they sprouted? 21. For Mikhail Tyruin. Would a "hole in one" be hitting the (Canadian E21) golf ball into a crater on the moon?
Please note, the amateur equipment on the ISS has not been functioning in the automatic modes properly and may be silent more than usual. Information about the next scheduled ARISS contact can be found at http://www.rac.ca/ariss/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.rac.ca/ariss (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).
Thank you & 73, Kenneth - N5VHO