An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Glenmore Christian Academy, Calgary, AB, Canada on 14 Oct. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 16:01 UTC.

The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds.

The contact will be direct between NA1SS and VE6BGC. The contact should be audible over portions of western Canada and the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

Glenmore Christian Academy was founded in 1980 in Calgary, Alberta; it is an alternate school within the Palliser School District. There are 641 students in Kindergarten to Grade 9. The students in Grades 1 - 5 and invited guests will be participating in this ARISS event and the conversation with Dr. Thirsk will indeed be a highlight. Our day will also include a presentation entitled, "Journey to the International Space Station", created and narrated by GCA teacher and Dr. Thirsk's sister, Bev Thirsk, chronicling her 10 day Soyuz TMA-15 pre-launch, launch, post-launch activities in Moscow, Russia, and Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Students will respond to the day's events with follow-up composition, art, and music activities. The students will dress in space-themed costumes, enjoy a special related lunch treat, and receive Expedition 20 gifts from the Canadian Space Agency. This ARISS event and Expedition 20/21 theme will be the springboard for continued activities in the classrooms culminating in a celebration of Dr. Thirsk's successful mission and landing in November.

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

1. What does no gravity feel like? 2. What kind of experiments are you involved in? 3. Do you get your own bedroom? 4. What and how do you eat? 5. Did you bring your Bible? 6. Has an asteroid ever hit the ISS? 7. What is a normal day like? 8. How do you exercise without gravity? 9. Is it hard to control Dextre? 10. How many rooms are in the space station? 11. Is there a day and night in space? 12. What is the thing you miss the most? 13. Do you have another mission planned after this one? 14. Are you ever scared? 15. How dark and cold is it in space? 16. How fast does the ISS travel? 17. What does the world look like from space? 18. What things you can do in space, but not on Earth? 19. What does the sunset look like in space? 20. How do you eat spaghetti in space?

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

Next planned event(s):

1. UNICEF Hands Washing Day all schools in Gao (Mali),

Thu 15 Oct 09 16:33 UTC

2. JOTA, Boy Scouts of America HQ, Irving, Texas,

Sat 17 Oct 09 21:56 UTC

3. Istituto Comprensivo Romualdo Trifone, Montecorvino Rovella, Salerno, Italy, Tue 20 Oct 09 07:41 UTC

4. C. E. M. IV, Mbour, Senegal,

Fri 23 Oct 09 10:28 UTC

5. VTI Ieper, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium, Fri 23 Oct 09 11:11 UTC

6. Samuel Hearne Secondary School, Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada, Fri 23 Oct 09 16:27 UTC

7. Belayr Pathfinders, Dartmouth, NS, Canada,

Sat 24 Oct 09 15:12 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