An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Istituto Comprensivo Romualdo Trifone, Montecorvino Rovella, Salerno, Italy on 20 Oct. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 07:41 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. This contact will utilize both direct and telebridge connections. The contact is between OR4ISS and amateur stations IK1SLD and IQ8BB on earth. Communication should be audible over Italy. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

The Romoaldo Trifone is a primary and secondary school for pupils and students aged between 5 and 12 years old, about 750. Our school is dedicated to an important lawyer born in Montecorvino Rovella. Our nice town is located in south of Italy, near the archeological site of Paestum. The students, besides the curricular subjects, take part in a lot of activities in the afternoon as drama, choir and popular dances. The school is involved in special projects supported by European fund as a specialization course of English language, Specialization course of maths and I.T. (information technology). Our students have taken part in a National Competition of mathematical games and has been placed seventh. Alexandra Angellotti is a clever student, very good at painting, for this she was attracted by the competition published by ESA: "Fly your picture on the International Space Station - your pictures!" She is one of the winners, and she is very proud that her drawing is on the shirt of the astronaut Frank De Winne in the space, and that the students of "Trifone" can talk to him.

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

1. What are the responsibilities of an astronaut on board? 2. How do you cope with the difficulties during the mission? 3. Did you dream about becoming an astronaut during your childhood? 4. Did you attend a specific course to become an astronaut? 5. What are you focusing your reflection on when you are in Space? 6. What is of essential importance for you during your stay in Space? 7. What is the minimum age for becoming an astronaut? 8. What do you miss most from Earth? 9. Do your personnel values change their intensity during your stay in

Space? 10. What was the first impression you got when you arrived on board the ISS? 11. What does the vastness of Space remind you of? 12. Do you have children and how often do you communicate with your family? 13. Would you like to share your experience in Space with your family? 14. Is your family happy with your choice of being an astronaut? 15. What profession did you pursue before you became an astronaut? 16. Are you happy or unhappy to coming back to Earth soon? 17. What objects will you bring home and which ones do you leave on board the

ISS? 18. Would you like to eventually come back to the ISS? 19. What do you think about life on the ISS in the future? 20. Do the Space Shuttle visits boost the moral of the long term crew? 21. What was the most difficult moment on board and how did you master it? 22. Do you expect any health problem after landing on Earth? 23. What experiment did you carry out together with the students from Athens?

Information about the upcoming ARISS contacts can be found at http://www.ariss.org/upcoming.htm#NextContact.

Next planned event(s):

1. C. E. M. IV, Mbour, Senegal,

Fri 23 Oct 09 10:28 UTC

2. VTI Ieper, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, Fri 23 Oct 09 11:11 UTC

3. Samuel Hearne Secondary School, Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada, Fri 23 Oct 09 16:27 UTC

4. Belayr Pathfinders, Dartmouth, NS, Canada,

Sat 24 Oct 09 15:12 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