An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium, Special event (European School Brussels II, Brussels, Belgium): on 27 April. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:53 UTC.

The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and LU1CGB. 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 European School Brussels II is situated near the heart of Brussels and serves the families of civil servants working with the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Institutions and also NATO. There are more than 3000 boys and girls aged 3-18, from 11 of the European Union countries in our school, which is divided into a Primary and a Secondary section. Lessons are delivered through 8 different language sections - each student receiving instruction in their mother tongue and, as they progress through the school, partly in a second language.

This chance to participate in an ARISS project has been actively embraced by the Science faculty and it is here where the opportunities for curricular integration are gaining momentum. In our 1st Year Secondary (typically aged 11) students study forces, gravity, weight and basic ideas about 'fields'. In the 2nd Year, studies of the Solar System, and well beyond, link directly to the Shuttle missions and the International Space Station. In Year 7 (the final Baccalaureate year, when most students are aged 18) the Physics section on 'Gravitational Fields' is mainly about the mechanics of planetary and satellite motion. Topics (and questions) are often presented within the context of NASA and ESA missions. Because of the high profile of the location of the event - at the European Parliament Building in Brussels - there is considerable scope to raise awareness through media coverage especially as we are the 'model' schooling for Europe.

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

1. Do you sweat in the Space? What happens with the dirty laundry? 2. Do you do special exercises or eat specific food in order to maintain

your physical condition during your travel in space? 3. Being so far away from Earth, how do you keep in contact with friends and

family and do you keep track of current issues and if you do, do they

affect you in any way? 4. What's the effect of zero gravity on cell growth? If cell growth is

slower, would people live longer and would fewer people get cancer? 5. What do you do in your spare time? 6. I have heard that from space you can recognize Belgium because its

highways are lit at night? Is this true? What else do you recognize? 7. How do you protect the space station from space debris? 8. Did your character change since you came to the ISS? How do you handle

differences of opinion? 9. If a member of the crew unexpectedly gets ill, is there anyone on board

with a medical education? Can he be treated like on earth? (eg.

injections) 10. Have your experiments had results that are relevant for us on earth?

Which effects do they have on our daily life? 11. How do you navigate in space? How can you reach the ISS precisely with a

space shuttle? 12 Do you have more fear in space than on earth?

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

Next planned event(s):

Nippon Boy Scout Amateur Radio Club, Mitaka-shi, Japan,

Tue, 4 May 2010 15:09 UTC

Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC, Sat 8 May 2010 17:01 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