Several International Space Station ARISS school contacts have been planned for Friday, Sept 22. Thomas Reiter will speak with students at the Gymnase Intercantonal de la Broye, Payerne, Switzerland on Friday, 22 Aug 2006 beginning about 10:44 UTC. Students at George Washington University in Washington D.C will speak with Anousheh Ansari about 16:49 UTC under control operator privileges of a US licensed crew member. On the very next orbit at about 18:25 UTC, students at Crete-Monee Middle School in Crete, IL will speak with ISS Exp 13 crew member Jeff Williams.

The contacts will be direct between stations DP0ISS and HB4FR for the first event. The next two events will have NA1SS contacting KE4GDU and then AJ9N for the third event . The contacts should be audible to anyone in portions of Europe for the first pass and then Eastern Canada and the Eastern United States for the last two events. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink.

Information about the three schools follows:

The Gymnase Intercantonal de la Broye is located in the town of Payerne, 40 km southwest of Bern, in the French speaking part of Switzerland. It first opened in August 2005 with 300 students. The class M1d , having the ARISS QSO is composed of 23 students (17 girls and 6 boys), aged between 15 and 17 years. Their studies will end up with a Certificate of Maturity. The class is conducted by Mrs. Florence Lamon, and the school director is Mr. Thierry Maire. The QSO will be held in the museum "Clin d'Ailes", located on the Payerne Swiss Airforce Base. The museum "Clin d'Ailes" shows the military aeronautics of the second half of the 20th century. The president of the Museum Foundation is Mr. Claude Nicollier, first Swiss Astronaut. Mr. Nicollier will be with the students during the QSO. After the QSO, the students will follow the Swiss Space Days activities organized by the Swiss Astronautics Association in the Gymnase and the museum "Clin d'Ailes".

The George Washington University had its beginning in 1821 as The Columbian College in the District of Columbia. The name of the institution was changed in 1873 to Columbian University and in 1904 to The George Washington University. The debt of the University to George Washington, whose name it bears, is an intangible one. The George Washington University, an independent academic institution chartered by the Congress of the United States in 1821, dedicates itself to furthering human well-being. The University values a dynamic, student-focused community stimulated by cultural and intellectual diversity and built upon a foundation of integrity, creativity, and openness to the exploration of new ideas.

Located just 30 minutes south of Chicago, Crete-Monee School District 201-U is situated in a dynamic south suburban community. This award-winning district boasts one of the most envied mathematics programs in the State of Illinois, a national choral music program and a full menu of exciting varsity athletics. With a growing population of nearly 5,000 students in grades K-12, School District 201-U serves the villages of Crete, Monee, Park Forest, University Park and the unincorporated townships of Crete and Monee. The district offers a diverse community of students, teachers and staff who value creativity, a love of learning and a commitment to excellence!

Please note, the amateur equipment on the ISS has not been 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): 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.rac.ca/ariss (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).

Thank you & 73, Kenneth - N5VHO