An International Space Station Expedition 14 ARISS school contact has been planned with students at St. Michael's Primary School in Daceyville, NSW, Australia on 02 April. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 23:35 UTC.

The contact will be a direct between stations NA1SS and VK2KVE. The contact should be audible in Eastern portions of Australia. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.

St Michael's Primary School Daceyville is situated in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It is a Catholic Systemic Primary School that serves the immediate community of Daceyville; with a number of students attending from outlying areas. The school has a population of 161 students ranging from Kindergarten (5 years old) to Year 6 (11 years old). The school delivers a wide curriculum across 7 key learning areas to ensure that children have access to a range of experiences and opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, understanding and values.

As a school community we endeavor to instill in children a love of learning, a keen awareness of the world they live in and the important role they play as members of society. The curriculum capitalizes on the natural curiosity of children and the way they perceive the world. It is our hope that the students make the most of the educational opportunities which they are provided with.

Students will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. Do you suffer from travel or motion sickness when you're an astronaut? Does it cause you much discomfort? How do you cope with being sick in space? 2. Do you think that humans will eventually conquer space? And, does outer space have an end? What is at the end of space? 3. How do you wash and go to the toilet in space without making a big mess? 4. Is it fun to work in space? Will you go on a space walk outside the International Space Station? 5. Can you please explain what it feels like to be weightless. 6. What features on the earth can you see from space? 7. Have you ever seen or experienced anything you cannot explain? 8. Can you describe some of the experiments you are involved in aboard the International Space Station? 9. Do you believe there is life in outer space without any evidence? 10. How fast are you traveling and how long does it take to orbit the earth? 11. Is it true that black holes can swallow planets and suns? And, if the planet earth was swallowed by a black hole, would we die or still be alive? 12. Can you see other planets and stars from the International Space Station? And, why is our galaxy called the Milky Way? 13. Can you describe what it feels like to be blasting off on the space shuttle? Is it noisy? Is there much vibration? Is it like a fun-park ride? 14. Which scientists do you most admire? That is, which scientists would be your greatest inspiration and why? 15. Have black holes been observed from earth? What is the difference between a black hole and a worm hole? 16. In an ordinary earth day how many sunrises and sunsets will you see? And, how long do they last? 17. What has been the biggest set back in space travel? And, do you think much about the dangers of being an astronaut? 18. How long will you be in space for on this trip? And, will you miss the changing seasons? What sort of climate is on the International Space Station? 19. How do you sleep on the International Space Station? And, is it difficult to fall asleep? 20. Do you ever orbit close to satellites? Have you seen one close up? Or have you seen comets or meteors close up? 21. Approximately how many women are in the astronaut corps? How many have traveled to space? Is the training harder for women? 22. What does it feel like when you enter the earth's atmosphere and become weightless? What are the effects of weightlessness on your body after a long period?

Please note, the amateur equipment on the ISS is not functioning in the automatic modes properly and may be silent more than usual. Information about the next scheduled ARISS contact can be found at http://www.rac.ca/ariss/upcoming.htm#NextContact .

Next planned event(s): Glenden State School, Glenden, Queensland, Australia, direct via VK4KHZ Wed 2007-04-04 22:39 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.rac.ca/ariss (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).

Thank you & 73, Kenneth - N5VHO