An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Academia Cotopaxi, Quito, Ecuador on 13 Apr. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:52 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.

Academia Cotopaxi is an international, American school located in Quito, Ecuador. It is an English language, International Baccalaureate school of 600 students, from grades pre-K to 12, and has maintained a strong relationship with Ecuador's astronaut, Ronnie Nader, and the Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency (EXA) since its initiation in 2007.

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

1. What new discoveries will you bring back down to Earth to share with us?

2. What is the most challenging adaptation that you've had to make when in

the ISS?

3. If you were having an emergency, and had to leave the space station, what

is the most important thing to bring with you to survive in space?

4. How do you get oxygen in the ISS?

5. Is it hard to become re-accustomed to the Earth's gravitational pull

after being 6 months in space?

6. How does your space suit regulate temperature in such extreme conditions

when fixing something outside the ISS?

7. What do you most enjoy about your job?

8. How much time does the training take to be ready to live on the ISS?

9. Are there any effects with the nervous system because of microgravity?

10. How do you avoid being hit by space trash?

11. How does it feel to see your planet from space?

12. What happens to blood circulation is space in microgravity?

13. How do you use math in your job?

14. What would you do in an emergency situation, where you might run out of

oxygen and what is your backup plan?

15. Is it more difficult for food to get to your stomach because of zero

gravity?

16. Does the human body age more slowly in space?

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

Next planned event(s):

1. Troop 2nd & 3rd Iruma Group, Saitama Scout Council Scout Association

of Japan, Iruma, Japan, direct via 8N1BSI

Sat, 14 Apr, 2012, 09:15 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