An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Zespól Szkól Technicznych, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland on 08 Jan. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:43 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and SP3POW. The contact should be audible over Poland and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

The Centre of Technical Schools in Ostrów Wielkopolski is a school which educates future electronics and mechatronics engineers, computer scientists and renewable energy specialists. Our school has been cooperating with Polish universities, electronic and mechatronic industrial plants and schools in Germany and the UK, what brings very good results. Thanks to the participation in the ARISS program our school has partnered with the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. Our students participate in various forms of extra-curricular activities which develop their passions and interests. As a result, they have created many interesting electronic and mechatronic devices. For example, some of the recent constructions include fpv plane, a qudrocopter, a stratospheric balloon capsule, some amateur radio equipment and many more.

Currently, the school has 800 students aged 16 - 19 years. The Center of Technical Schools has invited its younger mates (students 13 - 15 years old) from Junior High School No. 1 named of Polish Nobel laureates in Ostrów Wielkopolski and 10 - 12 year-old students from Pope John Paul II Primary School in Lamki so that they all can participate in the ARISS program. Preparations for the ARISS contact began in late 2011. A series of amateur radio classes were carried out so that students could learn the rules of work on the radio. It was a very interesting experience to carry out radio communications through amateur radio satellites and to take photos from NOAA satellites. In addition, we monitored other radio signals from the space. Most emotions were from the radio contact with the ISS in the APRS system and from listening to ARISS contacts of other schools in Poland and Europe.

The schools participating in the ARISS program organized a series of events to promote various fields of science, particularly those that are the most relevant for the development of astronautics.

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

1. What scientific experiments are carried out on the space station at

present?

2. How does the magnetic needle work in space?

3. How do you handle different illnesses?

4. How would a pendulum clock work on board of the ISS?

5. Was there anything that surprised or impressed you during your stay in

space?

6. What was the largest mammal (except for humans) which was on the ISS?

7. How do flying insects behave in zero gravity?

8. Do you know how many centimeters your body lengthened in weightlessness?

9. Is it easy to use a pen or a fountain pen on the space station?

10. Do you think that time in space passes faster?

11. How do you observe and explore the Moon?

12. What or how did you feel when you saw the Earth from space for the first

time?

13. Does Kirobo work well and fulfill its mission on the ISS?

14. Is it hard to get used to weightlessness?

15. Is it possible to be able to breed crystals in weightlessness?

PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES:

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http://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/sarex

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International Space Station (ARISS).

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Next planned event(s):

1. Berkeley Middle School, Williamsburg, VA, direct via K4RC

Wed, 08Jan2014, 18:33 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

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