An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Parkside Elementary, Atlanta, GA on 02 Mar. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 16:42 UTC.

The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and K6DUE. The contact should be audible over the east coast of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

Parkside Elementary School is located in urban Atlanta. The facility is recognized as a Title I public school with over 550 students enrolled in pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. The student population is comprised of 77% Black, 13% White, 6% Hispanic and 4% Asian students. The school uses a wide range of technology equipment to help students learn and grow as individuals, including Mac computers, video iPods and interactive white boards among many other types of technology. The school also has numerous clubs which students can join including a chess club, robotics club, public speaking club and rocketry club among many others.

At Parkside Elementary School, our objective is to ensure that each student is offered a quality education in a safe, caring and orderly environment. Educational experiences at Parkside provide global perspectives and appreciation for cultural diversity. We encourage high academic performance and involve our students in a rigorous and challenging curriculum.

Parkside has launched a STEM initiative to inspire students to seek future careers in the areas of Math and Science and also experience some of the research challenges facing today's scientists and engineers.

The ARISS contact supplements our district and the next phase of our school's STEM initiative; to develop an amateur radio club in addition to dedicating an instructional week to NASA related activities for our school community to partake. Our students are excited about the upcoming ISS contact event that will provide our special education students of ages 8-12; both males and females, a once in a lifetime opportunity to make contact with crew members aboard the International Space Station.

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

1. I love learning about space! Did you have an interest in space when you

were young?

2. How has your educational background and training prepared you to be

aboard the ISS?

3. What prior preparations are needed before an astronaut is cleared to

travel in space?

4. How did you feel the first time you launched into outer: space?

5. My ears pop sometimes when I am on a plane. Did your ears pop when you

left Earth?

6. How long did it take for you to reach the ISS after launch?

7. I have eaten MRE food before and love it! Do you get tired of eating

space food?

8. Does your appetite change while you are in space?

9. Do your sleep patterns change while you are in space?

10. What would happen if you ran out of supplies on the ISS?

11. What experiments are you currently conducting aboard the Space Station?

12. What risks do you encounter on a daily basis on the ISS?

13. Since there are six crew members aboard the ISS, how do you decide what

type of music everyone will listen to?

14. How many days have you been in space?

15. How often do astronauts perform space walks?

16. What is the most exciting thing you have seen in space?

17. What type of team work goes into living aboard the International Space

Station?

18. How often are you able to communicate with your family and friends during

your stay on the ISS?

19. What new technologies have recently been developed due to the ISS

missions?

20. How is space debris being prevented?

21. Has the International Space Station been through a meteorite shower or

has it ever been hit by space debris?

22. What do you miss the most about Earth while you are on the ISS?

23. What type of vehicle do you use to return to Earth after your mission is

complete?

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

Next planned event(s):

1. 5th Geniko Lykeio Katerinis, Katerini, Greece, direct via SX2ISS Fri 2 Mar 2012, 17:03 UTC

2. Dilworth Elementary School, San Jose, CA, direct via AA6W

Mon, 5 Mar 2012, 18:33 UTC

3. ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands, telebridge via ON4ISS

Tue, 6 Mar 2012, 13:11 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