An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Ecole Primaire Pasteur, Fleurance, France on 07 Aug. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 11:01 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and LU1CGB. The contact should be audible over Argentina and portions of S. America. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

Fleurance is a town located in the Gers department in the South-West of France, with a population of 6339 inhabitants. The most famous gastronomic specialities are the foie gras and more generally all the cooking with duck, the armagnac (a french digestive), melon and the astronomy. Indeed, every summer since 1981, Fleurance hosts the largest European Astronomy Festival where more than 50 astronomers and Space Science specialists are invited to present their research in front of several thousand of astronomy enthusiasts. For 8 years, this festival has developed a children festival, called Astro-jeunes, in order to introduce the mysteries of our Universe to children (aged from 4 to 16 years old). For the 2013 edition, we have collaborated with the primary school of Fleurance, and the CE2 students (10 years old) to prepare the contact with the International Space Station, to be held during the French Astronomy Festival. 80 children have been involved in this preparation, and they have benefited from expertises of the association "Le Monde de la Ferme des Etoiles" as well as the team of Astro-jeunes (composed by young researchers) to study the different components of the space station, the different steps of a rocket launch as well as the observation of the ISS during the night. More than 150 children will attend the contact with the ISS, and they will meet Michel Tognini during the week of the 8th Astro-jeunes festival.

Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:

1. Could you please describe us your last day inside the station?

2. How long is a length of stay in the international space station?

3. How do you drink in space?

4. Where does the water come from in the station?

5. How do you have a wash in space?

6. Is there any odor inside the station?

7. Is any of our sense being developed in the station?

8. Is it easy to sleep in space?

9. How does one go to the toilet in the ISS?

10. What happens during the meal inside the station?

11. Is it easy to wear a spacesuit?

12. Why do astronauts need a spacesuit?

13. What are the repair works to do inside the station?

14. Do you enjoy your stay in the station?

15. What happens in case of medical emergency?

16. How can we return to the Earth after a stay in the ISS?

17. How can we go back inside the ISS after a spacewalk?

18. How can we leave the rocket to enter into the station?

19. Are there any cutting objects in the ISS and how can we avoid any hurt with them?

20. Is it possible to put the ISS in orbit around another planet?

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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,

David - AA4KN