An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at University of Western Australia, Astronomy Division, Perth, Western Australia, Australia on Sept. 14. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:26 UTC.

The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and LU8YY. The contact should be audible over portions of South America. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a leading Australian research university and has an international reputation for excellence, innovation and enterprise. For this very special event we have selected a specific day to coincide with a visit from Australian astronaut Dr. Andy Thomas. As part of his visit Dr. Thomas will deliver a lecture attended by West Australian secondary students from a number of schools on Tuesday the 14th of September. Dr. Thomas' wife, Shannon Walker, is also an astronaut and is expected to be on board the International Space Station on this date making the entire event quite unique for all involved and a great opportunity to attract national and international media coverage. High school students involved in this event will come from schools located in Perth and regional Western Australia. Through the support of the 'Aspire' program, schools and students located throughout Western will benefit from this opportunity.

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

1. What effects are experienced by astronauts who spend extended

periods of time in space?

2. What is it like living on the ISS?

3. How do you keep in touch with your family while you are in space?

4. To what extent does being an astronaut have an effect on your day

to day life?

5. What kind of advantages does weightlessness give to the experiments

conducted on the ISS?

6. Do you believe in aliens?

7. Do you think that putting a man on mars will hold real benefit for

those of us back on earth?

8. What is the most amazing thing you have seen or done in space, and

why was it so great?

9. What sort of experiments are conducted at the ISS?

10. What did it feel like when you first arrived in space?

11. What subjects did you study at school to become an astronaut?

12. How did all of the vigorous training help you once you were in

space?

13. According to Hubble's theory of the constant expansion of the

universe, and that as galaxies get further away the faster they

move away from Earth, would the speed of the galaxies eventually

approach and exceed the speed of light?

14. After being in space do you feel fat when you come back to Earth?

15. What happens if an astronaut falls severely ill while in space?

16. In space how do you know if its day time or night time?

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

Next planned event(s):

1.. Utah National Parks Council, Sector 7, Boy Scouts of America, St. George, Utah, direct via N7B Sat, 18 Sept 2010, 17:10 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