An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Lompoc High School, Lompoc, California on 29 Sept. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 16:04 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be direct between NA1SS and KI6FBT. The contact should be audible over portions of the Western U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

Lompoc Senior High is a four year California Central Coast school. It is the home of the STaRS (Space, Technology and Robotics Systems) Academy which provides four years of classes devoted to astronautics: how we get things into space, why we put things in space and what we do with them once they are there. Students study material related to an ARISS link, such as the history of space flight, space environment, orbital motion and ground tracking, life support systems and rockets. Students in the electronics and robotics classes study programming, electronic digital communications, signal processing, and satellite tracking. The biology classes study astrobiology topics such as SETI(radio astronomy) and the exploration of Mars.

STaRS students participate in writing questions, predicting answers and evaluating responses concerning the International Space Station. An ARISS contact has been an important goal of the STaRS integrated Earth Science curriculum and students have been working on a model of the ISS and learning about amateur radio in general. Lesson plans of the Space Science Class have been video recorded as part of the preparation for the ARISS contact. The students asking questions are ages 14 & 15.

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

1. Have you seen any hurricanes forming from where you are?

2. Is it true that you are younger than you would be if you had stayed on

earth?

3. Would it be worthwhile for everyone to experience what you've experienced

on the ISS?

4. While you have been in orbit have you seen any comets or meteors?

5. Does being there make you want to someday go on to Mars? Or not?

6. What are the most challenging tasks of your everyday life in orbit?

7. What is the most remarkable object you have seen while in orbit?

8. What made you decide to become a "sailor to the stars", that is, an

astronaut?

9. What is your current research mission assignment?

10. What do you think of having to return to earth early?

11. What is the most exciting thing that you have done in space?

12. Can you explain how you are coming back to earth this time?

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