An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale "Leonardo da Vinci", Pratola Peligna, I-67035, Italy, and Istituto Comprensivo Scolastico "G. Tedeschi", Pratola Peligna, I-67035, Italy on 2 April. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 08:34 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between IR0ISS and I6IBE. The contact should be audible over Italy. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in Italian or English.

The school is named to Leonardo Da Vinci and is located in the Peligna valley, about 60 km from the city of L'Aquila, Abruzzo, central Italy. It's a Higher Technical Institute for the study of electronics, telecommunications, chemical materials, mechanical and mechatronics. The Institute is attended by students aged 14-19 and has 22 technical laboratories, 1 gymnasium and 1 soccer field and 72 classrooms connected to the Internet. The school collaborates with the local radio amateurs. The Comprehensive School "Tedeschi" in Pratola Peligna includes a school population that goes from nursery to middle school. The school population has more than 700 pupils and students. For many years, students participate in various cultural and sporting initiatives that have enabled us to achieve important goals. The school has a close relationship with "Leonardo Da Vinci" Institute.

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

1. MagISStra is the name of your mission, why this name?

2. Do you consider being an astronaut more a passion or a job?

3. Does the news arrive in real time from the Earth to ISS?

4. How big is the ISS and what kind of physical activities can you do

inside.

5. How are vital parameters checked on the ISS?

6. What made you choose this kind of job?

7. What research do you like most among those that you are doing?

8. Are you working on a project that studies stem cells in space?

9. Does your family support you in the work you do?

10. How do you feel when you observe the Earth from space?

11. How do you spend your free time on ISS?

12. What is the most interesting event you will surely tell your children?

13. Is it easy to manage the telecommunication system on the space-shuttle?

14. What are the major aims of your mission?

15. What kind of training do you have to practice to keep fit in space?

16. What do your friends think about your job?

17. Did you think about becoming an astronaut when you where our age?

18. Will all people be able to travel through the space in future?

19. How did you spend your Christmas holiday?

20. What can you distinguish on the surface of the earth from the ISS?

21. What kind of hobbies do you have on ISS?

22. How do you think UFOs can observe you now that you are in space?

23. At what altitude is your orbit? Why has that one been chosen?

24. In your opinion, what is the most beautiful thing of this mission?

25. Have you ever had any kind of difficulty in space?

26. What do you see and do in space that charms you most?

27. Since men have been polluting the Earth, can they pollute space as well?

28. What's the temperature outside the ISS?

29. Is the sound of the human voice different in space?

30. In which module of the ISS do you prefer to stay longer?

31. What do you eat and drink when you're out in space?

32. Are there laboratories on the ISS to perform scientific experiments?

33. How do you wash without gravity end what about the toilet?

34. How many years do you have to train to become an astronaut?

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

Next planned event(s):

Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale "Enrico Fermi", Lucca, I-55100, Italy, direct via IQ5LU Mon, 4 Apr 2011 07:52 UTC

Rosebud Secondary College, Rosebud, Victoria, Australia, telebridge via W6SRJ Mon, 4 Apr 2011 09:04 UTC

Scuola Primaria III Circolo "Tiro a Segno", Fermo, I-63023, Italy, and Scuola Primaria "Viale della Vittoria", Montecosaro, I-62010, Italy direct via I6KZR Wed, 6 Apr 2011 07:10 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