An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Mt. Ousley Public School, Fairy Meadow, NSW, Australia on Mar 12. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 07:35 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between OR4ISS and IK1SLD. The contact should be audible over Italy 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.

Mt Ousley (ooze-ly) Public School is a government school in coastal Wollongong, New South Wales about 100km south of Sydney. We have 185 students aged 5-12yrs and have 12 teachers. We enjoy learning experiences that connect us with the world and use technology to help us communicate and follow the crew on Facebook and Twitter.

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

1. How does radiation affect you and do you worry about radiation levels in

the thin atmosphere?

2. Does 'sound' sound different in space, both in the ISS and when on a

spacewalk?

3. How do you store the oxygen needed for the astronauts and do you have

enough to last for extra months if needed?

4. If someone gets ill, what sort of medical procedures do you have

in place? If someone is critical, do you have the option to evacuate

them back to Earth and would you abort the mission?

5. Do you feel physically or mentally any different when you come back to

Earth?

6. How do you know whether it is night or day? Do you get a 'jet- lag' kind

of feeling and does it affect your sleep?

7. How does the ISS generate and store electricity to power everything?

8. What were your preparations for going to the ISS, how long does it take

to train for the mission?

9. Why is the work you do on the ISS important to mankind?

10. What do you miss most about home when you are in space?

11. How do you read and write if things keep moving around?

12. Can you roll a dice so that it lands on a number or will it just float

away?

13. How do you turn on and use the airlock?

14. I want to be an astronaut, what do I need to do?

15. What do you consider to be the best part of your work?

16. Are fires a big risk? What would happen if there was a serious fire that

got out of control?

17. Can you eat spaghetti and runny sauce in space?

18. How do you get into the ISS from a rocket or transport ship?

19. Have you seen any signs of life in space and do you think there may be

life on other planets?

20. How do you dispose of rubbish and maintain hygiene?

21. In the cramped space of the shuttle/Soyuz, what do you do on the journey

to/from the ISS?

22. What's your favourite food to eat in space?

Information about the upcoming ARISS contacts can be obtained by subscribing to the SAREX maillist. To subscribe, go to http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/maillist/ and choose "How to Subscribe".

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