An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Shri Krishna Vithyaalayam Matric School, Pollachi (TK), India on 12 March. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 13:34 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 portions of Europe. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

The school is located in rural part of Tamilnadu state in India. The school has got a global partnership program with Westborough school in UK. Mr.M.K.Anantha Ganesan, the founder and the Principal visited The Westborough school in September 2009. He is an amateur radio operator (VU3GPF). He visited the Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society and is made a honorary member. Anamalai Amateur Radio Club functions from our school.

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

1. How many space walks are allowed and what purpose do space walks serve?

2. How long the astronauts have to undergo the endurance tests?

3. What type of food is taken by the astronauts?

4. How far the Chandra x-ray observatory is useful in studying exotic

phenomenon?

5. What new construction is taking place in the ISS?

6. What kind of scientific and technological experiments are undertaken by

the astronauts?

7. Please tell us about the emotional change that you undergo while spending

months together in space?

8. Could you please tell us if the space junk will hamper space travel?

9. What are your first impressions on seeing the mother earth for the first

time from space?

10. What steps have been initiated to reduce the impact of radiation exposure

to the astronauts?

11. What functions have been assigned to the Robonaut?

12. Can you explain the term microgravity and how astronauts cope with that?

13. What is your message to humanity as a whole and the students like us from

India?

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

1. Fair Lawn High School, Fair Lawn, NJ, direct via W2NPT

Contact is a go for: Mon, 14 Mar. 2011 15:44 UTC

3. Pawel Wlodkowic University College, ZOK, Zespól Szkól Zawodowych Nr

2, Plock Scientific Society, Primary School in Liszyno, Plock and

Liszyno, Poland, direct via SP5ZBA/5

Contact is a go for: Thu, 17 Mar.2011 09:21 UTC

4. Luitpold-Gymnasium Muenchen, Munich, Bavaria, D-80538, Germany,

direct via DN2MQT Contact is a go for: Thu, 17 Mar. 2011 14:05 UTC

5. SIP Cossar / Da Vinci, Gorizia, Italy, and Elena Guerra Middle

School, Rome, Italy direct via IW3QKU

Contact is a go for: Sat, 19 Mar. 2011 08:38 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