An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Vrije Technische Scholen (VTS), Sint-Niklaas, Belgium on 18 Jan. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 09:47 UTC.

The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and ON4SNW. The contact should be audible over Belgium and portions of Europe. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in Dutch.

The non-profit association 'Vrije Technische Scholen BSO/TSO' is an industrial technical school that has become a real value in the over 100 years of its existence in Sint-Niklaas and in the vast area of our region as a training center for young technicians in the field of mechanics, electricity, carpentry, construction, refrigeration engineering, automotive engineering, industrial sciences. The industrial technical education is a product of its time, which in the case of our school, due to its numerous contacts with the industrial sector and the institutions for higher education, amounts to a strong emphasis on "science and technology". Our school population consists of about 800 pupils, both male and female, between 12 and 18-20 years old. Our training can be subdivided in three categories :

-The theoretical technical schooling : prepares for a training in higher education and can in the respect of theoretical approach be compared with the general secondary schooling.

-The practical technical schooling: prepares for a career in industry on the level of 'supervisor of the manufacturing process'.

-The professional schooling : they prepare for a professional life as a qualified worker in the fields of carpentry, welding, construction and so on.

Those three training areas all include 6 years. At the end of the technical training the pupils receive a degree of secondary schooling. The pupils in the professional training have to add an additional 7th year for this degree.

The ARISS -project is not the first adventure the VTS engages in. Pupils and teachers regularly 'spice' the traditional school-events with additional assignments. This results in a more challenging schooling process for all parties involved. To name just a few achievements of the previous years :

-Our automotive division was awarded the 'golden key', the first prize in the contest.

-Our pupils participate in the maths-olympics.

-Robocontest.

-Electrochallenge.

Also in the social field, in which the well-being of our pupils deserves our attention, our school has distinguished itself : in 2009 we won the first prize in the Queen Paola Contest 'School Of Hope', with our project 'from underprivileged to privileged'.

In short, VTS BSO/TSO is a school in which nobody is afraid of a challenge, which can be inferred from our participation in this fascinating ARISS-project.

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

1. In what way do you sleep in space?

2. What are the requirements to become an astronaut?

3. How is it to see earth from above?

4. Is there internet in the ISS?

5. How long does it take to fly from earth to the ISS?

6. What do you do in space in your free time?

7. What happens to the human body staying in the free space without any personal protection or cabin?

8. How is the ISS provided with oxygen?

9. Which daily tasks has an astronaut to perform?

10. What happens when an astronaut gets seriously ill in the ISS?

11. Imagine that the communication link with earth collapses for a longer period, how would this problem be solved?

12. Is it possible, in case of emergency, to operate on an astronaut in the ISS?

13. How is the weight core of the ISS determined?

14. How does a rocket catch up with the ISS?

15. How is your weight measured in the ISS?

16. Have you got a feeling of speed inside the ISS?

17. What happens with the packaging garbage in the ISS?

18. Does the launching of the rocket cause a sensation of pain?

19. How cold 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