An International Space Station Expedition 15 ARISS school contact has been planned with students at Christian Life Elementary School, Rockford, Illinois, USA on 25 April. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 19:21 UTC.

The contact will be a direct between stations NA1SS and N9SH. The contact should be audible in central and Eastern portions of North America. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English. Additional listening options are listed below.

Christian Life Schools is a nationally accredited private school that serves Pre-K through 12th grade students and its staff and faculty are certified teachers. The school is located in the northeast side of Rockford, Illinois which is 90 miles west of Chicago. The student body is made up of students from the surrounding Rockford area; as well as, southern Wisconsin families. Students participate in several after school activities such as: Football, Basketball, Track, Baseball, Softball, Scholastic Bowl, Chess Club, Math Olympics, Science Olympiad, Cheerleading, and Student Council. Graduates from Christian Life have moved on to: community colleges, state universities, and the military.

Students will ask as many of the following questions as time allows: 1. I have heard that you are growing plants up there. What kinds are you growing? 2. How do you get to see or talk to your friends and/or family? 3. If you had your choice, what would the next space project be and what part would you do to see it happen? 4. What were some of your thoughts when you first boarded the International Space Station? 5. What is the hardest thing to change in your lifestyle while in space? 6. Do you ever bring anything back from the Space Station? 7. What type of food do you eat in space? 8. What do you like about outer space? 9. Has your view of life and the universe changed since you've been in space? 10. Are their any other space crafts around the ISS, do you see them? 11. When did you know that you wanted to become an astronaut? 12. How do you go to sleep or do you even go to sleep? 13. What do you see that we will discover about space in the next 20 years? 14. How do you get to different rooms? 15. For the couple of hours before you went into space, how did you spend your time, knowing that you wouldn't be on earth for a long time? 16. What changes does your body experience when you enter and leave space? 17. What things do you do in your spare time when you aren't working? 18. As technology progresses now, how long do you think it will be until we have bases on the moon?

Please note, the amateur equipment on the ISS is not functioning in the automatic modes properly and may be silent more than usual. Information about the next scheduled ARISS contact can be found at http://www.rac.ca/ariss/upcoming.htm#NextContact .

Next planned event(s): Samuel-von-Pufendorf Gymnasium, Floeha, Germany, Sat 2007-04-28 14:19 UTC via DL0GYM

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