An International Space Station Expedition 16 ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at Robespierre, Rueil-Malmaison, France on 21 Feb. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 14:30 UTC.

The contact will be a direct between stations FX0STD and F6KFA. The contact should be audible in most of Europe. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in French.

Rueil-Malmaison is a lovely city 10 km west of Paris, near the "Mount-Valerien", surrounded by a large forest, parks and gardens, for the happiness of its 75,000 inhabitants. In the 17th century, the Cardinal of Richelieu, minister of King Louis the 13th, was the lord of Rueil. In 1799, Napoleon the 1st and his wife Josephine lived in the nice castle of Malmaison. At the end of the 19th century, famous impressionist painters like Renoir, Manet and Monet used to find scenery inspiration at the banks of the river Seine nearby. Robespierre elementary school is named after Maximilien Robespierre, a famous character of the French revolution in 1789. Robespierre is a mixed establishment for boys and girls with 10 classrooms, ranging from 1st grade to 5th grade and a total of 256 children, aged from 6 to 11.

Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. Comment savez-vous à quel moment il faut dormir? (When do you know when it is time to sleep?) 2. Qu'est que vous aimez beaucoup, et que vous ne pouvez pas manger dans l'ISS? (What do you like to eat on earth, that you could not have in the ISS?) 3. Est que ça fait peur d'aller dans l'espace? (Is it frightening to go to space?) 4. Combien de temps la station spatiale peut elle rester dans l'espace? (How long the Space Station could remain in the space?) 5. Quand vous êtes malades, comment faites-vous? (What do you do if you get sick?) 6. Y a-t-il des météorites qui passent près de la station spatiale? (Are there any meteors passing nearby the ISS?) 7. Comment prend t on sa douche en apesanteur? (How could you take a shower in zero-gravity?) 8. Est-ce que la pollution de la Terre est visible depuis l'espace? (Is the Earth pollution visible from the space?) 9. Qu'avez-vous emmené dans vos valises pour partir dans l'espace? (What did you put in your suitcase before leaving to the space?) 10. Est-ce qu'un jour vous aimerez vivre autre part que sur la Terre? (Do you plan to live one day on another planet?) 11. Quels sont les bruits qu'on entend dans l'espace? (What kind of sounds could you hear in the space?) 12. Pourquoi avoir fait une grande base dans l'espace? (What is the purpose of such a big space outpost?) 13. Quelles études faut-il faire pour devenir astronaute? (What type of studies do I need to become an astronaut?) 14. Qu'est ce qui vous plaît le plus dans ce métier? (What do you find most enjoyable being an astronaut?) 15. Etait ce votre rêve d'aller dans l'espace? (Was it your childhood dream to become an astronaut?) 16. Avez-vous déjà manqué d'eau dans un de vos voyages dans l'espace? (Have you ever been short of water during one of your space journeys?) 17. Est-ce que vous avez des enfants ? pouvez-vous parler avec eux? (Do you have children? Are you able to talk to them from the ISS?) 18. Qu'est ce que vous allez étudier pendant cette mission? (What will you study during this mission?) 19. Est-ce drôle de flotter dans la station spatiale? (Is it funny to float in zero-gravity in the space station?) 20. Y a-t-il un âge minimum pour partir dans l'ISS? (Is there any minimum age to be eligible to go to space?)

Information about the next scheduled ARISS contact can be found at http://www.rac.ca/ariss/upcoming.htm#NextContact . Packet is transmitted on 145.825 simplex.

Next planned event(s): College Reydellet, Saint-Denis, Ile de La Réunion, Mon 2008-02-25 14:44 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