An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at South Florida Science Museum, West Palm Beach, FL on 30 Oct. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 15:58 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and WS4FSM. The contact should be audible over the eastern U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

The South Florida Science Museum provides curious minds of all ages with an entertaining and educational journey through science and technology. The Museum features more than 50 hands-on exhibits, a digital planetarium, freshwater and saltwater aquariums, as well as natural history exhibitions. Each year the Museum welcomes more than 125,000 visitors and reaches more than 45,000 students through workshops at the Museum and outreach programs to local schools.

When the South Florida Science Museum announced that it would be holding an essay contest to determine who would have the privilege of communicating with the International Space Station (ISS), hundreds of students and teachers reached for the stars.

Contest participants submitted a 250-word essay on the topic: "Why is space exploration important and what does it mean to me?" The essays were submitted first to school administrators who determined the winning essay from each school. From there, the essays were judged at the South Florida Science Museum by a panel including local media, school district administrators, HAM radio operators and astronomers.

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

1. Station Experiment Seedling growth 1 (an experiment with growing plants

in space) could produce food and air on the space station, and solar

panels generate power. Based on this, is NASA planning an experiment on

how to produce water in space?

2. Can you describe the integrated cardiovascular experiment you have been

performing on this mission?

3. In space the human body is put through so much stress, both physically

and mentally, how did you train for this?

4. How has your perspective of spaces, size and expanses changed since

leaving Earth?

5. What future space discovery are you most excited about?

6. I heard on the news water was found on Mars, so does that mean people can

live there?

7. What was the most interesting experiment you have done in space?

8. What is the most beautiful/inspiring thing you have seen from space?

9. When you look back on your life, what event or activity happened that had

the largest impact on your desire to become an Astronaut?

10. Can you see coral reefs from space?

11. What are the benefits of doing experimentation in microgravity?

12. Other than looking at Earth, what brings you peace of mind?

13. Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge."

Have you found this to be true in your work as a space explorer?

14. Can Americans vote in space?

15. What kind of medical testing do you have to undergo to ensure that you

are mentally and physically ready to spend long periods of time in

space?

16. In space, orbital debris can become a serious problem, I know about once

a year the chance of a collision exceeds 1 in 10,000 and the ISS will

normally maneuver away from the object (as I believe was just recently

done). How does the ISS maneuver in such a way?

17. Would you change anything about your experience working with NASA?

18. What would you like to see NASA do next?

19. How is waste disposal currently handled on the space station and what is

your opinion on how waste is disposed of?

20. What do you do for exercise when you are on the space station and where

does your sweat go?

21. What is a day in the life of an astronaut like?

22. Compared to being on Earth, is it easier to sleep in Space or harder?

23. Can you study coral reefs and the ocean from space?

24. How do metals, flames, and fluids behave differently in zero gravity?

25. What does space exploration mean to you and why is it important to you?

26. We would like to know what plants grow best on the ISS and have you

harvested and eaten any plants grown on the ISS?

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

Next planned event(s):

1. Southern Tier Catholic and Archbishop Walsh Academy, Olean, NY,

telebridge via IK1SLD

Tue, 30Oct12 16:16 UTC

2. Cumberland Elementary School, West Lafayette, IN, direct via KA3QAX

Tue, 30OCT12 17:35 UTC

3. Primarschule Aesch, Forch, Switzerland, direct via HB9TSO

Fri 02Nov12 13:47 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