ARISS News Release No. 23-17
ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at Montross Middle School, Montross, Virginia, USA
April 19, 2023 —Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and students at the Montross Middle School located in Montross, VA. ARISS conducts 60-80 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.
Montross Middle School is a rural, public school for 6th, 7th and 8th grades with about 300 students in Westmoreland County, Montross VA. The School’s STEM curriculum includes courses on the solar system, space exploration and specifically included assignments on tracking and spotting the ISS. Courses have also emphasized communication using ham radio, and the properties of radio waves. In preparation for the ARISS contact, the school participated in the School Club Roundup with the Westmoreland Amateur Radio Club in the previous Fall and Spring. Members of the Westmoreland Amateur Radio Club have also been sharing their expertise on radio communication and communicating with the ISS using ham radio and will be supporting the school during this ARISS contact.
This will be a Multipoint Telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of Astronaut Steve Bowen, amateur radio call sign KI5BKB. 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.
The ARISS amateur radio ground station (telebridge station) for this contact is in Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S. The amateur radio volunteer team at the ground station will use the callsign K6DUE, to establish and maintain the ISS connection.
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for April 21, 2023 at 1:34:31 pm EDT (VA) (17:34:31 UTC, 12:34 pm CDT, 11:34 am MDT, 10:34 am PDT).
The public is invited to watch the live stream at: https://division.wmlcps.org (with the stream linked under Upcoming Events) and at https://www.youtube.com/live/sFFmf9e0pZs?feature=share
_______________________________
As time allows, students will ask these questions:
1. Have you ever thought that you couldn’t make it and almost gave up trying. What encouraged you to keep going?
2. As a member of the International Space Station, I assume you work for NASA? Could you tell us your path of working for NASA?
3. How do you cope with the mental and emotional challenges of long-term space travel?
4. What is the training process for becoming an astronaut?
5. Why do you want to be an astronaut?
6. How do you sleep since there is no gravity?
7. How do you eat?
8. How do you take a shower in space?
9. How do you brush your teeth?
10. What happens if you get sick in space?
11. What does it feel like coming back into the earth’s atmosphere?
12. What type of stuff do you do in space?
13. How old were you when you first realized that you wanted to be an astronaut?
14. How long does it take to become an astronaut?
15. How long will you be on the International Space Station and can you return later?
16. What are the hardships of being an astronaut?
17. Have you gone to the back of the moon?
18. How long did it take to get used to no gravity especially when sleeping?
19. How do you get back to earth?
20. What is the bathroom like?
21. Are you able to see the other planets as you orbit the earth?
22. Does the International Space Station have a heater?
23. Is it hot when you’re coming back into the earth’s atmosphere?
24. Is time different in space?
ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at Montross Middle School, Montross, Virginia, USA
April 19, 2023 —Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and students at the Montross Middle School located in Montross, VA. ARISS conducts 60-80 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.
Montross Middle School is a rural, public school for 6th, 7th and 8th grades with about 300 students in Westmoreland County, Montross VA. The School’s STEM curriculum includes courses on the solar system, space exploration and specifically included assignments on tracking and spotting the ISS. Courses have also emphasized communication using ham radio, and the properties of radio waves. In preparation for the ARISS contact, the school participated in the School Club Roundup with the Westmoreland Amateur Radio Club in the previous Fall and Spring. Members of the Westmoreland Amateur Radio Club have also been sharing their expertise on radio communication and communicating with the ISS using ham radio and will be supporting the school during this ARISS contact.
This will be a Multipoint Telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of Astronaut Steve Bowen, amateur radio call sign KI5BKB. 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.
The ARISS amateur radio ground station (telebridge station) for this contact is in Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S. The amateur radio volunteer team at the ground station will use the callsign K6DUE, to establish and maintain the ISS connection.
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for April 21, 2023 at 1:34:31 pm EDT (VA) (17:34:31 UTC, 12:34 pm CDT, 11:34 am MDT, 10:34 am PDT).
The public is invited to watch the live stream at: https://division.wmlcps.org (with the stream linked under Upcoming Events) and at https://www.youtube.com/live/sFFmf9e0pZs?feature=share
_______________________________
As time allows, students will ask these questions:
1. Have you ever thought that you couldn’t make it and almost gave up trying. What encouraged you to keep going?
2. As a member of the International Space Station, I assume you work for NASA? Could you tell us your path of working for NASA?
3. How do you cope with the mental and emotional challenges of long-term space travel?
4. What is the training process for becoming an astronaut?
5. Why do you want to be an astronaut?
6. How do you sleep since there is no gravity?
7. How do you eat?
8. How do you take a shower in space?
9. How do you brush your teeth?
10. What happens if you get sick in space?
11. What does it feel like coming back into the earth’s atmosphere?
12. What type of stuff do you do in space?
13. How old were you when you first realized that you wanted to be an astronaut?
14. How long does it take to become an astronaut?
15. How long will you be on the International Space Station and can you return later?
16. What are the hardships of being an astronaut?
17. Have you gone to the back of the moon?
18. How long did it take to get used to no gravity especially when sleeping?
19. How do you get back to earth?
20. What is the bathroom like?
21. Are you able to see the other planets as you orbit the earth?
22. Does the International Space Station have a heater?
23. Is it hot when you’re coming back into the earth’s atmosphere?
24. Is time different in space?