An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Wallingford STEM Academy/Town of Wallingford, Wallingford, CT on 18 Jan. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 15:18 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. 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.

Wallingford STEM Academy is a community based and family oriented organization that excites students about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This program, previously known as the Young Astronaut Club of Wallingford and founded in 2000, has been providing STEM enrichment for students in grades 4 through 8 for over thirteen years through Wallingford Youth and Social Services.

The Wallingford STEM Academy is a collaborative partnership between the Spanish Community of Wallingford (SCOW), the Town of Wallingford Youth and Social Services Department (WYSS), the Wallingford Education Association (WEA). STEM Academy branches in Wallingford, and Hamden, are the flagship programs for CEA's STEM Education Initiative. We currently serve the Spanish Community of Wallingford (SCOW) and the general population. 40% of our STEM Enrichment Academy is comprised of students from the Spanish community and 40 % of our students are girls interested in STEM education. Our weekly meetings are conducted at the Spanish Community of Wallingford Great Room and in our STEM Education Classroom next to SCOW.

Since 2005, a companion project to Wallingford STEM Enrichment Academy is the Wallingford Family Science and STEM Night Series. At least twice a month, we organize and implement family oriented Science and STEM Family Nights in Wallingford. These events range from evening programs, daytime vacation programs, hands-on investigations, assembly style programs, and night sky observations. The purpose of this organization is to deepen student, and family, understanding of STEM concepts as a compliment to an existing inquiry based STEM curriculum in Wallingford. Our major funders for both STEM Academy and Wallingford Family STEM Nights are the Wallingford Rotary Club's Wallingford Foundation, 3M Charitable Contributions and the Connecticut Education Association.

For more information regarding STEM Academy and Wallingford Family STEM Nights, please contact Christopher Stone at ctfamilysciencenights@gmail.com or by phone at 203.294.2175 (Wallingford Youth and Social Services).

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

1. What do you think is the most interesting part of the ISS?

2. Do you have specific clothes that you need to wear when not in

uniform?

3. Do you come in contact with any robots made by NASA?

4. Do you celebrate holidays while in the ISS?

5. We know there are some negative effects in zero gravity. What are you

doing to prevent these negative effects?

6. How do you brush your teeth in space?

7. How far away from earth does "no gravity" actually kick in?

8. What is your research on the ISS?

9. Is it easy to move around in your spacesuit during a spacewalk?

10. How do you keep your supplies replenished? Do you ever run out?

11. What was the most difficult part of your training?

12. For the female astronaut, do you have to wear your hair in a ponytail?

13. How do you make food in outer space?

14. Do you age quicker while you are in space?

15. What's the hardest part of spending time on the space station?

16. Are you allowed to talk with your family when you are in space?

17. What does spending time in microgravity feel like?

18. What happens when you cry in space?

19. If something went wrong on a spacewalk, would you have enough time to

get back in the ISS?

20. Do you have a ranking system on the ISS?

PLEASE CHECK THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ARISS UPDATES:

Sign up for the SAREX maillist at

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

Visit ARISS on Facebook. We can be found at Amateur Radio on the

International Space Station (ARISS).

To receive our Twitter updates, follow @ARISS_status

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

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