An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Campus Saffraanberg Belgian Defence, Sint Truiden B-3800, Belgium on 17 July. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:09 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds.

The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and ON4BAF. The contact should be audible over eastern Europe. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English (French or Dutch).

Not far from the charming town of Sint-Truiden, Campus Saffraanberg houses the Royal NCO-School. In former times, this school used to be responsible for the training of all NCO-technicians, but since September 2007, the range of training programmes has been widely extended with technical, as well as non-technical courses for both Dutch- and French-speaking boys and girls. After a successful completion of their training, they are equipped for a military career within the Ministry of Defence.

The options in the technical fields of study are: aircraft technology, electromechanics, military armament technology, high-frequency electronics, opto-electronics and ICT. The non-technical fields of study consist of social and military sciences, meteorology and air operations.

Because of the importance of their mission, the school and the supporting services of the Campus Saffraanberg are dedicated to maintaining a high standard quality of training and a great level of satisfaction of all people involved. Therefore they adhere to the modern and enduring principles of management and to their vision and values: excel in training competent co-workers for the MOD, paying special attention to respect, quality, competence and involvement.

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

1. Quels genres d'expériences réalisez-vous et pourquoi est-il nécessaire de

les effectuer en apesanteur? What type of experiments are you working on

and why is it necessary for you to carry them out in weightless

conditions?

2. Hoe weet je waar je bent in de ruimte? How do you know your position in

space?

3. Quelle énergie utilisez-vous lorsque la station n'est plus exposée au?

soleil? Which kind of energy do you use when you're in the shadow of the

earth?

4. Heeft het ruimteschip last van het 'ruimteweer'? Does the spaceship

suffer from space weather?

5. Sent-on une différence de température dans la station quand celle-ci se?

trouve du côté de l'ombre de la terre? Is there a temperature variation

when the station is in the earth's shadow?

6. Wanneer je het ruimteschip verlaat voor een ruimtewandeling, voel je dan

een temperatuursverandering? Do you feel a difference in temperature when

you go out for a walk in space?

7. Le manque d'attraction terrestre provoque une grande dispersion du sang

dans la tête notamment, n'a-t-on donc pas des douleurs? The lack of

gravity causes the blood to rush more rapidly headward. Isn't it painful?

8. Wat is uw motivatie om aan zo'n risicovolle missie deel te nemen?

What is your motivation to take part in such a risky mission?

9. N'est-il pas trop difficile de vivre avec les mêmes personnes pendant 6

mois sans voir votre famille et le monde? Is it not too difficult to live

with the same people for 6 months without seeing your family and the

world?

10. Is er daarboven in de ruimte veel verschil aan activiteiten of is het

eentonig? Do you have a large choice of activities or is it monotonous

in space?

11. Comment faites-vous pour vous laver ? Comment faites-vous pour aller aux

toilettes? How do you wash yourself? How do you answer the call of

nature?

12. Er wordt gezegd dat een reis naar de ruimte gevaarlijk is. Verliep alles?

tot nu toe zoals gepland of heb je al voor gevaarlijke situaties gestaan?

A space trip is said to be dangerous. Has everything gone well so far or

have you had to face dangerous situations?

13. Y-a-t-il des conséquences physiques au retour ? Si oui, lesquelles? Et?

que faites vous pour y remédier? Does the return to earth cause you

any adverse physiological effects? If so, which ones? How do you

counteract them?

14. Is er veel achtergrondlawaai in het ISS? Is there much background noise

in the ISS?

15. L'apparence de l'atmosphère depuis l'espace confirme-t-elle les problèmes

écologiques actuels? Are the current ecological issues confirmed by the

appearance of earth's atmosphere seen from space?

16. Kunt u het gevoel beschrijven net voor u vertrekt? Could you describe

the feeling before you leave the earth?

17. Est-ce que les sensations à la sortie et à l'entrée de l'atmosphère sont?

proches de ce que l'on peut ressenter dans un F-16? Are the sensations

felt when entering or leaving the atmosphere close to those experienced

when flying an F-16?

18. Wat is het gemiddeld vermogen dat dagelijks verbruikt wordt tijdens het

verblijf in het ruimtestation? What's the average daily energy

consumption of the space station with a full crew?

19. Entre un vol comme ingénieur de vol et un autre en tant que commandant de

mission, lequel représente le challenge le plus intéressant, le plus?

exigeant? Which is, according to you, the most challenging and

interesting assignment:flying as a flight engineer or as a mission

commander?

20. Wordt een alternatieve brandstof overwogen voor de draagraketten om tot

de lancering van de space shuttle over te gaan? Are they considering any

alternatives to the fuel for the solid rocket boosters used to launch the

space shuttle?

21. Quelle quantité de déchet est relâchée par l'ISS chaque année? Sous

quelle forme et comment est-ce que vous les gérer? How much waste does

the ISS dispose of yearly? In what form and how do you manage it?

22 Zijn er branddetectie en - bestrijdingsmiddelen aan boord? Was er al eens

brand? Is the ISS equipped with fire detecting and extinguishing systems

on board? Has fire ever broken out?

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

Next planned event(s):

1. Scout Space Jamboree, Octave Chanute Air Museum, Rantoul, Illinois, Sun 19July 09 15:51:03 UTC

2. EU Special Event, Eichenlaubschule Weiskirchen, Weiskirchen, Germany, telebridge via ON4ISS (***) Contact is a go for Sun 19July 09 17:54:43 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