An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA on 27 Mar. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 20:13 UTC.

The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and AH6NM. The contact should be audible over Hawaii and adjacent areas. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

Cal Poly is a four-year public university in San Luis Obispo, located on California's Central Coast. Ranked one of the top schools in the country for engineering programs, Cal Poly boasts its "Learn by Doing" philosophy where students get hands-on experience from laboratories using equipment found in industry. As part of its "Learn by Doing" philosophy, Cal Poly also hosts hundreds of clubs for a wide variety of students interests. The Cal Poly Amateur Radio Club in conjunction with the Electrical Engineering department are proud to host its first ever contact with astronauts on the International Space Station.

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

1. What made you want to become an astronaut?

2. When you are building things in space, how do you keep the pieces from

floating away?

3. At what point does the lack of gravity effect your body and what do you

do about it? For example, bone density deterioration

4. How long does it take for the International Space Station to orbit the

sun?

5. Do you believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life?

6. Do you see a lot of space junk?

7. What does your ice cream look like?

8. What type of feeling is it to first defy gravity?

9. How does someone such as yourself get to work in the space industry?

10. What does it feel like when you take off?

11. How did you get in space?

12. What are some of the everyday difficulties and problems you face?

13. What are common space junk elements?

14. What do you do with waste for the toilet?

15. What kind of experiments do you do up there?

16. Do you ever get nervous when you're about to take off?

17. What kind of food do you eat in space?

18. Do you ever get out of the craft to float around in space?

19. Do you recommend becoming an astronaut?

20. How hot is it in space?

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

Next planned event(s):

TBD

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