ARISS News Release                                                         No.   21-29  
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
ARISS Contact Scheduled for Students at Monaro High School, Cooma, New South Wales, Australia
 
 
May 17, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).
 
This will be a telebridge contact via amateur radio and students will take turns asking their questions of Astronaut Mark Vande Hei, amateur radio call sign KG5GNP. English is the language that will be used for this contact.  Both onsite and remote access will be provided to the student body at the time of the contact per Covid-19 guidelines. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the telebridge station.
 
ARISS team member David Payne, using call sign NA7V in Portland, Oregon will serve as the relay amateur radio station.
 
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for May 19, 2021 at 7:25 pm AEST (Cooma, Australia), (9:25 UTC, 5:25 am EDT, 4:25 am CDT, 3:25 am MDT and 2:25 am PDT).
 
Monaro High School (MHS) (about 500 students, Years 7 to 12) is part of the Snowy Monaro region, 120 kilometers south of Canberra City. In advance of the ARISS contact, MHS modified student courses in all their Key Learning Areas by incorporating content relevant to communication and space habitation. All year levels at MHS will be involved in the ARISS contact as well as their feeder primary schools (Kindergarten to Year 6) and the surrounding high schools’ students. Members of the Snowy Mountain Amateur Radio Club are working with MHS in support of this ARISS contact.
 
The public is invited to watch the live stream at: https://www.facebook.com/monarohighschool/live/
 
_____________________________
As time allows, students will ask these questions:
 
1. What is the biggest thing you had to give up to go on the ISS? How did going to space make it worth it?
2. How do you stay fit in space?
3. As a young Australian woman who wants to go to the ISS later in my life, what skills should I focus on?
4. What is the best thing about microgravity, and is it difficult to go from the environment of the earth to that on the ISS?
5. Have you ever seen an unexplained occurrence or suspicious things in space?
6. From the ISS, can you see the climate of our planet changing or geo-physical hazards?
7. Why does finger delamination happen? Has it happened to you? And how painful is it?
8. What goes through your head while on the launch pad, about to launch?
9. What are the specifics of the sewage/water systems? And how different is going to the toilet on the ISS?
10. What inspired you to want to be an astronaut?
11. What is the most important aspect of your training in preparation for living in space?
12. The investigation on the functional effects of space flight on cardiovascular stem cells revealed anything promising? If yes, then what?
13. Is the Milky Way more beautiful in space than on earth?
14. Are you able to facetime people on earth?
15. How was the ISS built?
16. Have you been to the ISS and back many times? And if so, is it hard to get use to the gravity of earth and the atmospheric pressure?
17. What is the coolest thing you have done in space?
18. How do you cut your hair and shave in space without making a mess?
19. How do you plan enough food for up to 6 months while you are there?
20. What is the weirdest food you eat on the ISS?
21. Is there WIFI in space?
 
ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                                                                                                                                        May 13, 2021                                                                     No. 21-28
David Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org
 
 
US Schools/Groups Move Into Phase 2 of ARISS Selections
 
May 13, 2021 — Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is pleased to announce the schools/host organizations selected for the January-June 2022 contact window. A total of 9 of the submitted proposals during the recent proposal window have been accepted to move forward in the processes of planning to host a scheduled amateur radio contact with crew on the ISS. The primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) activities and raise their awareness of space communications, radio communications, space exploration, and related areas of study and career possibilities.
 
ARISS anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for these US host organizations.  The candidates must now complete an equipment plan that demonstrates their ability to execute the ham radio contact. Once their equipment plan is approved by the ARISS technical team, the final selected schools / organizations will be scheduled as their availability and flexibility match up with the scheduling opportunities.
 
The schools and organizations are:

Organization                                                                              Location
Bellefontaine High School                                                          Bellefontaine, OH
Carter G. Woodson Middle School                                             Hopewell, VA
Lewis Center for Educational Research                                     Apple Valley, CA
Matinecock District, Suffolk County NY Boy Scouts                   Medford, NY
McBride High School                                                                  Long Beach, CA
Old St. Mary's School                                                                 Chicago, IL
Salem-South Lyon District Library                                              South Lyon, MI
Sussex County Charter School for Technology                          Sparta, NJ
Space Hardware Club                                                                Huntsville, Alabama
 
ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Continuous Amateur Radio Operations on the ISS

ARISS News Release                                                                        No.21-27
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org
 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
 
ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at Collège Descartes, Antony, France 
 
May 10, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).
 
This will be a Multipoint Telebridge ARISS Contact via Amateur Radio between the ISS and students from College Descartes. Students will take turns asking their questions of ISS Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, amateur radio call sign KG5FYG. French is the language that will be used for this contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the ARISS radio telebridge station.
 
ARISS team member David Payne, using call sign NA7V in Portland, Oregon will serve as the relay amateur radio station. Each student asking a question on the ARISS radio will be conferenced in from home or social-distanced at school.
 
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for May 11, 2021 at 12:54 pm CEST (Antony, France) (10:54 UTC, 6:54 am EDT, 5:54 am CDT, 4:54 am MDT, 3:54 am PDT).
 
The Collège Descartes is a public general school (700 students aged 10 to 15 years) located in Antony, a southern suburb of Paris, France. Collège Descartes Physics curriculum includes studies in astronomy—the solar system, space probes, the organization of matter in the universe, and observation of the sky to study the relativity of movements. The school encourages students to augment their science/physics and mathematics curricula by becoming active in the school’s astronomy, nature, and space clubs. Students participating in these clubs conduct experiments to understand the history of space conquest and communication. Student class activities also include learning Morse code, electronic module-building, and computer coding. The school has partnered with the members of Radio Club de Clamart who will support the school during the ARISS contact activities.

_______________________________
 
As time allows, students will ask these questions:
 
1. Qu’aviez-vous ressenti lors de votre première mission?
2. Qu’avez-vous ressenti lors de votre voyage à bord de la fusée SpaceX?
3. Quelles planètes voyez-vous de l’ISS à l’oeil nu?
4. Quelles sont les responsabilités d’un commandant de bord?
5. Pourquoi avoir choisi comme nom de mission « Alpha »?
6. La covid 19 a-t-elle eu un impact sur cette mission?
7. Sur quel fuseau horaire êtes-vous?
8. Y a-t-il une différence entre les sorties extravéhiculaires dans l’espace et dans l’eau?
9. Quels risques peut-il y avoir lors d’expériences scientifiques dans l’ISS?
10. Pourquoi avoir choisi d’étudier les réactions d’un blob dans l’espace?
11. Les blobs ont-ils une réaction face aux radiations bien plus puissantes dans l’espace?
12. Actuellement, faites-vous des expériences avec des animaux à bord de l’ISS?
13. Avez-vous gouté aux légumes qui poussent sur l’ISS ? Quel goût avaient-ils?
14. Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait qui vous a le plus plu dans l’ISS?
15. Est-ce que vous entendez le son différemment dans l’ISS?
16. Que pensez-vous de la pince acoustique Telemaque qui a été amenée dans l’ISS?
17. La pince Télémaque peut-elle fonctionner sur Terre?
18. Est-il vrai qu’une partie du matériel sera emballée dans une mousse comestible? L’avez-vous goutée?
19. Comment les études sur le vieillissement cérébral seront-elles utilisées?
20. A la fin de vos voyages, avez-vous le « space blues »?
21. N’avez-vous pas peur des répercussions que ce voyage va avoir sur votre corps?
22. Entre toutes vos expériences scientifiques et la diffusion de photos pour sensibiliser le grand public à la pollution, au réchauffement climatique, quel objectif vous paraît le plus important?
 
Translation
1. How did you feel during your first mission?
2. How did you feel during your trip aboard the SpaceX rocket?
3. Which planets do you see on the ISS with the naked eye?
4. What are the responsibilities of the ISS captain?
5. Why did you choose “Alpha” as the name of the mission?
6. Did covid 19 have an impact on this mission?
7. What time zone are you in?
8. Is there a difference between spacewalks in space and the rehearsals in water?
9. What risks can occur during scientific experiments in the ISS?
10. Why did you choose to study the reactions of a blob in space?
11. Do blobs have a reaction to more powerful radiations present in space?
12. Are you currently experimenting with animals onboard the ISS?
13. Have you tasted the vegetables that grow on the ISS? What taste did they have?
14. What did you like most about the ISS?
15. Do you hear sound differently in the ISS?
16. What do you think of the Telemaque acoustic clamp that was brought in the ISS?
17. Can the Telemaque clamp work on Earth?
18. Is it true that part of the experiment material will be packed in a eatable foam? Have you tasted it?
19. How will studies on brain aging be used?
20. At the end of your travels, do you have the “space blues”?
21. Aren't you afraid of the repercussions that this trip will have on your body?
22. Between all your scientific experiments and the dissemination of photos to educate the general public about pollution, global warming climate, which goal do you think is the most important?
 
ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS

ARISS News Release                                                            No.   21-26  
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org
 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARISS Contact is Scheduled for Students at Green Bank Elementary Middle School, Green Bank, West Virginia, USA
 
May 5, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).
 
This will be a direct contact via amateur radio between students at the Green Bank Elementary Middle School, WV and Astronaut Mark Vande Hei, amateur radio call sign KG5GNP. Students will take turns asking their questions. English is the language that will be used for this contact. Both onsite and remote access will be provided to the student body at the time of the contact per Covid-19 guidelines. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners who are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the radio relay ground station.
 
Amateur radio operators, using the call sign N8RV, will operate the ham radio ground station for this contact.
 
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for May 7, 2021 at 8:35 am EDT (Green Bank, WV), 12:35 UTC, 7:35 am CDT, 6:35 am MDT and 5:35 am PDT).
 
Green Bank Elementary Middle School (GBEMS) (281 students in grades k-8) is located in rural Pocahontas County, West Virginia, and will host this ARISS contact. Another 350 students in the Pocahontas County High School will also attend the ARISS contact event (in-person and remotely). GBEMS’s STEM classroom curricula are augmented with student club activities that include engineering, computer coding, and robotics. In preparation for the ARISS contact, the school’s science curriculum added courses in electronics, wave physics, and communications theory. These classroom studies and lab activities include the topics: orbital mechanics, Doppler effects, signal tracking, sky and land coordinates, and signal processing. Student courses also highlight the ISS as an example of international cooperation for a common goal and integrated this aspect into the social studies curriculum covering the course topics: distributed project participation, agreements and treaties, and organizational structure. In advance of the ARISS contact, the GBEMS Ham Club was formed for 6th through 8th graders. Members of the Eight Rivers Amateur Radio Club (ERARC) will provide equipment, technical, and operational support for the ARISS contact, and ham radio mentoring and support for the school ham club. The school has also partnered with the Green Bank Observatory (GBO), an adjacent NSF research facility, which provides educational and staff support to the school. GBO staff are also founding members of the school ham club and, along with ERARC members, conduct curriculum-supporting youth activities. These include antenna-building, radio direction-finding, and a high-altitude balloon launch and tracking. Because GBEMS is located within the West Virginia Radio Astronomy Zone, radio transmissions by the school’s ham club members must be coordinated with the GBO per FCC requirements through an agreement between the school and the National Radio Quiet Zone office.
 
The public is invited to watch the live stream at: https://www.facebook.com/GreenBankObservatory/live/ and https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87052256434?pwd=dUYxeFJVMFFvaHBWNnRMOG10TTZ5dz09.
_____________________________
 
As time allows, students will ask these questions:
 
1.  What made you decide to become an astronaut?
2. Is the ISS heated or do you wear bulky suits because it is always cold?
3. How often do you have to replenish the Oxygen tanks from earth?
4. Have you ever lost contact with The Base? What are you supposed to do if that were to happen?
5. What can you see from the Space Station that you can’t see from Earth? Other space craft, monuments, Earth patterns, stars?
6. If you have any downtime, what do you do with it? (e.g., hobbies, past times, fun).
7. What are you allowed to bring to the ISS and what did you choose to bring?
8. How do you solve problems with each other if you get into arguments?
9. Does your food go to the top of your mouth when you eat because of microgravity? Does it feel different to eat or drink in space?
10. What do you do about trash?
11. Is it possible for an animal to be pregnant in space?
12. Has there ever been a critical failure? What protocols do you have in case there is a critical failure, and do you have to do drills or practice what to do if that happens?
13. What are the emotional challenges in space?
14. How is your sleep or work schedule different in space than it would be on Earth?
15. How do you get news from Earth? Were you worried about COVID affecting your support system on the ground?
 
ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Continuous Amateur Radio Operations on the ISS

ARISS News Release                                                                            No.   21-25 
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
ARISS-USA Volunteer Search
 
April 29, 2021 - Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, Inc. (ARISS-USA) is seeking volunteers to support our mission: 
To provide and operate Amateur Radio systems on the International Space Station (ISS) and elsewhere to inspire, educate, and engage youth and communities in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) and to support ISS backup communications.  ARISS-USA, is a 501(c)(3) charitable, educational and scientific non-profit that was recently incorporated in the state of Maryland in the USA. 
 
We are seeking volunteers with a can-do, collaborative attitude who can work effectively as part of a team to support a variety of functions and roles.  We have volunteer openings in several senior leadership roles, including:

• Associate Director
  
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• Director of Business Development
• Director of Volunteer Resources
• Director of Public Engagement
• Director of Engineering

 
We also have openings for volunteers who would support functions within the above teams as well as openings within the ARISS-USA Operations, Engineering and Education teams. 
 
Descriptions of each of these roles are given in Article 8.6 of the ARISS-USA bylaws that can be referenced at:
https://ariss-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ARISS-USA-Bylaws-Web-Site.pdf
 
Candidates accepted into senior leadership positions will be required to first serve in a six-month probationary period.  All candidates for senior leadership positions must be U.S. citizens. 
 
If you are interested in making a difference as an ARISS-USA team member, please send your resume or CV to candidates@ariss-usa.org.  Include a cover letter that explains what position you are interested in supporting.
 
We thank everyone for your interest and support to ARISS!
 
Ad Astra!  (To the Stars!)
 
Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO
ARISS-USA Executive Director
 
ARISS-USA is an Equal Opportunity Organization and will not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, age, race, color, national origin, religion, physical handicap, disability or any other legally protected status
 
 
ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS
 
About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS).  In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org.
 
Media Contact:
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
                                                                              
Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and @ARISS_status.

ARISS News Release                                                               No.   21-24  
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org
 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
ARISS Contact Scheduled for Students at St Margaret’s School, Melbourne, Australia
 

April 22, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).
 
This will be a telebridge contact via amateur radio and students will take turns asking their questions of Astronaut Shannon Walker, amateur radio call sign KD5DXB. English is the language that will be used for this contact.  Both onsite and remote access will be provided to the student body at the time of the contact per Covid-19 guidelines. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the ARISS radio telebridge station.
 
The ARISS team in Casale Monferrato, Italy will use call sign IK1SLD to serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio ground station.
 
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for April 26, 2021 at 8:12 pm AEST (Melbourne), (10:12 UTC, 6:12 am EDT, 5:12 am CDT, 4:12 am MDT and 3:12 am PDT).
 
St. Margaret’s School (host school) and Berwick Grammar School serve about 900 students from Preparatory to Year 12. St Margaret’s School includes a curriculum on Space and Astronomy for students in Year 8 and 9. Year 9 students are also learning basic electric circuits. Students have also participated in NASA’s Girl’s School Alliance, which included a trip to NASA facilities. Both schools include in their STEM program class activities that are a part of their G’Day Space Program enabling participating students to visit the Kennedy Space Center (and watch a rocket launch). Their STEM program also enables students (Physics class) in Year 11 to work with Arduinos, and build electrical circuits. The School has also added recent courses on amateur radio communication and foxhunting (radio directional finding) activities.
 
The public is invited to watch the livestream at: www.ariotti.com.
_____________________________
 
As time allows, students will ask these questions:

1. Is the atmosphere in space hot or cold?
2. I wonder what space food tastes like?
3. What minerals and gases do you study in space?
4. How is water recycled in the ISS?
5. Are there unexpected laws of physics that do or don’t remain the same in space?
6. How many countries are involved in the International Space Station?
7. When you come back to Earth do you still feel like you are floating?
8. Do you think you can use what you have learned in space to help us with our life on Earth?
9. What thing in space stunned you the most?
10. What is your space suit made of and what features does the space suit have in it?
11. How big of an issue is space junk for the International Space Station? Is there much junk around the station and has the Station ever been damaged by space junk?
12. Do you hope to live on Mars one day?
13. Do medical operations occur on the ISS? If so, how do the astronauts prevent body fluids (such as blood) from being released due to low gravity?
14. Can you see weather from space such as rain or lightning from above the Earth?
15. How long does it take to orbit the Earth?
16. What noises do you hear in space?
 
ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS
 
About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS).  In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org.
 
Media Contact:
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
                                                                              
Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Search on Amateur Radio on the ISS and @ARISS_status.

ARISS News Release                                                                   No.   21-23  
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org
 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
ARISS Contact Scheduled for Students at St Scholastica’s College
Glebe, New South Wales, Australia
 
April 22, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).
 
This will be a telebridge contact via amateur radio and students will take turns asking their questions of Astronaut Victor Glover, amateur radio call sign KI5BKC. English is the language that will be used for this contact.  Both onsite and remote access will be provided to the student body at the time of the contact per Covid-19 guidelines. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHZ and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the ARISS radio telebridge station.
 
ARISS team member Jan Poppeliers, in Aartselaar, Belgium using radio call sign ON4ISS, will serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio station.
 
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for April 26, 2021 at 6:34 pm AEST (Sydney), (8:34 UTC, 4:34 am EDT, 3:34 am CDT, 2:34 am MDT and 1:34 am PDT).
 
St Scholastica's College (about 1000 students) is an Independent Catholic day and boarding secondary school for girls founded by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St. Benedict. St Scholastica's College is located in Glebe, a suburb of western Sidney, Australia. The school offers courses in the fields of science and mathematics in their STEM curriculum. Students also have participated in the ACTURA space program in the U.S. with some students visiting NASA facilities through a program with University New South Wales.
_____________________________
 
As time allows, students will ask these questions:
 
1. How has being in the space station changed your beliefs and or perspectives of the universe?
2. What have you found out on the ISS that can’t be found out on Earth?
3. Has COVID-19 had an impact on life in the space station?
4. How do you keep in touch with your family when you are in space?
5. Do you ever feel existential terror from being in space and seeing how endless the universe is? / How do you deal with this?
6. I imagine your work, being so far away and of such a vast scale, would impact your mental health. Considering this, are there ways you work on your mental health onboard, and has your experience changed the way you think?
7. What was the hardest of the requirements for space travel for you to meet?
8. Do you believe that in the future, younger people will be able to go into space? 
9. What made or motivated you to want to become an astronaut?
10. Can you see the effect of climate change from space? And if so, what are the phenomena you have observed?
11. What would you say is the most important skill for astronauts to have and master?
12. If funding for space exploration became scarce, how would you convince the world that space exploration was worth the investment?
13. Do you believe that the tests and studies you perform will cause great change and progress in the way we live or view the world?
14. When first arriving into the space station how did you feel? And how do you feel now?        
15. Is there day and night in space?
16. Is NASA training similar to Roscosmos training? If so, how? What are the similarities/differences?
17. How long did you have to train and prepare to go into space and what was the training like?
18. Have you, personally, ever had to repair a part of the ISS due to damage caused by man-made space debris? And if so, what part of the spacecraft did you repair?
19. What is the best scientific advancement or discovery that the ISS has delivered to humanity?
20. Where does your waste (rubbish and sewerage) go?
21. Is the future of space travel likely to be in the hands of private companies like Space X or government agencies like NASA?
22. What impact do you think that the ISS has had on international cooperation?
 
ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS

ARISS News Release                                                                     No.   21-22 
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
ARISS Contact Scheduled for Students at Winmalee Public School
                                    Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia
 
April 17, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).
 
This will be a telebridge contact via amateur radio and students will take turns asking their questions of Astronaut Victor Glover, amateur radio call sign KI5BKC. English is the language that will be used for this contact. Both onsite and remote access will be provided to the student body at the time of the contact per Covid-19 guidelines. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the telebridge station.
 
ARISS team member Jan Poppeliers, in Aartselaar, Belgium using radio call sign ON4ISS, will serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio station.
 
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for April 20, 2021 at 6:28 pm [AEST] (Winmalee, Australia), (8:28 UTC, 4:28 am EDT, 3:28 am CDT, 2:28 am MDT and 1:28 am PDT).
 
Winmalee Public School (360 students, Kindergarten-Year 6) is one of five local primary schools in the town of Winmalee within the Blue Mountains, 80 km west of Sydney, Australia. Winmalee Public School’s STEM program curriculum includes a weekly STEM Lab for Kindergarten through Year 6 taught by a specialist primary science educator. Space-based studies also include lessons about the Solar system, space travel, space missions, and the future of space exploration. In preparation for the ARISS contact class lessons have focused on the ISS; how to track its position in orbit (using applied mathematics), as well as learning about the ISS astronauts and their roles. Other student activities included ISS model-building, designing promotional posters, and sharing their knowledge of the ISS with the local high school students. Students also participated in a space trivia competition. 
 ________________
 
As time allows, students will ask these questions:
 
1. What is the best way to describe the feeling of microgravity?
2. How long does it take to travel to the Space Station from Earth?
3. Have you ever seen a meteor pass through Earth’s atmosphere from the ISS?
4. What experiments do you do at the International Space Station?
5. Has anything ever gone wrong or required you to take emergency action while you have been on board the International Space Station?
6. What happens if space junk hits the International Space Station?
7. What personal items would you take into space if allowed…and why?
8. How many times a year do you get supplies delivered to the ISS?
9. What is the most difficult thing about being in space?
10. What do you do for fun up there?
11. As the ISS orbits the earth, can you see weather patterns like cyclones?
12. Do you grow plants in the space station? If so, how?
13. What is your daily routine on the ISS?
14. How are crew members chosen to go out on a space walk?
15. Which animal species are currently on board the ISS and what is their purpose?
16. Does seeing Earth from a distance give you and your crew a different perspective on life?
17. What do you enjoy most about linking up with students from across the world as part of this amazing ARISS program?
18. Many of my students have talked about their dream to become astronauts. What would be your greatest advice for them?
 
ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS

ARISS News Release                                                                             No.   21-20  
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
ARISS Contact for Students at The School of Information Technology & Mathematical Sciences, Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program 2021, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia
 
April 4, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).
 
This will be a telebridge contact via amateur radio and students will take turns asking their questions of Astronaut Shannon Walker, amateur radio call sign KD5DXB. English is the language that will be used for this contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz.
 
The ARISS team in Casale Monferrato, Italy will use call sign IK1SLD to serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio ground station.
 
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for April 6, 2021 at 8:57 pm ACST (Salisbury), (11:27 UTC, 7:27 am EDT, 6:27 am CDT, 5:27 am MDT and, 4:27 am PDT).
 
The School of Information Technology & Mathematical Sciences, Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program is a large (765 students) R-7 primary school located in a Mawson Lakes suburb in the City of Salisbury. The school’s Space Studies Program is jointly organized by the International Space University  and the University of South Australia. It is a unique, five-week live-in experience focusing on an international, intercultural and interdisciplinary educational philosophy. In addition, the school’s STEM program (including the Advanced Technology Program) incorporates space-related studies that include their ISS-astronaut project, offering students a chance to understand how the ISS functions, how astronauts live and work in space, and student activities that investigate small satellites using the CubeSat classroom kit through HEPTA (Hands-on Education Program for Technical Advancement). HEPTA is a hands-on study with intensive practical lessons of small satellite design and engineering. The hands-on activity focuses on establishing the knowledge of systems engineering by going through the whole process of system integration.    
The public is invited to watch the live stream https://tinyurl.com/6APR-isslinkup2021
 
 
As time allows, students will ask these questions:
 
1. What do you do to entertain yourself in such a small space for a long time with so few people?
2. Do you have travel sickness or feel suffocated while you are in there?
3. How do you protect against radiation on the ISS?
4. Have you seen any suspicious activity (like extraterrestrial creatures)?
5. Are there any health risks when you are in outer space?
6. How long do you think that it would take to discover another universe?
7. Does space debris affect the ISS?
8. When Is space radiation more harmful to astronauts?
9. Is the possibility of a fire on the ISS more terrifying when you are on the ISS or when you are training and preparing to be on the ISS.
10. How long can the present International Space Station (ISS) be used for?
11. What are the benefits of exercising in space?
12. What is your workout routine?
13. How does it smell in there?
14. What does it feel like in microgravity, especially when brushing teeth or hair or even having a shower?
15. What inspired you to be an astronaut?
16. Can you tell us some more information about the ISS?
17. Does warp speed exist?
18. What simple tasks on Earth requires the most work in space – and what, other than floating, can be done easily in space but is difficult on Earth.
19.  While in the ISS if someone gets sick, will normal earth medicine work in micro gravity?
20. Have you done any Covid-19 related research on ISS?
21.  Can we see the far side of the Moon from ISS? Or will we be able to see it from the new planned station orbiting near the moon?
22. How do you get rid of the smell in the space station
23. How serious is the problem of space debris and what is being done about it?

ARISS News Release                                                                No.21-19
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
aa4kn@amsat.org

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at Oakwood School, Morgan Hill, California, USA
 
March 20, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).
 
This will be a Multipoint Telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio between the ISS and students from Oakwood School, Morgan Hill, CA. Students will take turns asking their questions of ISS Astronaut Shannon Walker, amateur radio call sign KD5DXB, during the ARISS radio contact. English is the language that will be used during the contact. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz.  
 
The ARISS team in Casale Monferrato, Italy will use call sign IK1SLD to serve as the ARISS relay amateur radio ground station. Each student asking a question on the ARISS radio will be conferenced in from home or social-distanced at school.
 
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for March 22, 2021 at 11:27 am PDT (Morgan Hill, CA) (18:27 UTC, 2:27 pm EDT, 1:27 pm CDT, 12:27 pm MDT).
 
Oakwood School is a nonprofit, private, rural/suburban school (about 500 students, preschool – 12th grade) serving the community of Morgan Hill. The school’s STEM curriculum includes lab science in kindergarten and college prep courses for middle and high school students and extracurricular activities in STEM-related subjects (robotics and astronomy). During the past school year, in preparation for the ARISS contact, the school instituted a Year in Space Program for all grades. The class curriculum included new STEM courses that focused on space-related studies as well as enhancements to the existing STEM courses. This year-long program benefited from a number of volunteers from the space industry who provided class presentations and student activities in the fields of: radio communication (amateur radio and radio astronomy), astronomy, computer science, engineering, and robotics. High school students from the Astronomy Club will assist amateur radio operator volunteers in integration and testing of the ARISS contact’s backup radio station, and will help in setup of the ground station. In addition to incorporating amateur-related ideas into after-school STEM programs, the school’s amateur radio volunteer, who advises the school amateur radio and astronomy clubs, hosted ham radio testing for middle and elementary grade students.   
 
View the live stream of this ARISS radio contact at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg8ni7Gq6Z0.
_______________________________
 
As time allows, students will ask these questions:
 
1.  What is your favorite place on the ISS?
2. Are you currently conducting any experiments yourself?
3. What was your favorite part of Astronaut training?
4.  What advice do you have for a 6-year-old that wants to be an astronaut?
5.  What is the hardest thing you have had to do in space?
6.  Is the coronavirus on the ISS and do you need to wear masks?
7.  Do you and your crew mates play games in space?
8. Can you still do your favorite Earth hobbies on the ISS?
9. Are your astronaut outfits customizable (like can you make them different colors)?
10. What happens if there is a medical emergency on the ISS?
11. Who was your role model growing up and how have they helped you succeed in becoming an astronaut?
12. How do you communicate with all the astronauts that come from different countries?
13.  Who is your favorite Avenger/superhero and why?
14. What is the object you miss the most that is on planet Earth?
15. What was the hardest part of the training, and did you think you were going to pass?
16. Do the constellations from the space station look different from how they do on Earth?
17. We've noticed you use a lot of towels-- what if you run out of towels?
18. Although zero-gravity sounds fun at first, does it get “old” after a while?
19. If you were given the chance, would you like to be the first person to mars?
20. How do you stay connected with your family on Earth while in space and how long do you get to talk or see them?
 
ARISS – Celebrating 20 Years of Amateur Radio Continuous Operations on the ISS
 
About ARISS:
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS).  In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab-Space Station Explorers, and NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program. The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org.
 
Media Contact:
Dave Jordan, AA4KN
ARISS PR
                                                                              
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