ARISS News Release                                                                                            No. 25-03

ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at Federal Telecommunications Institute and Vermont School, Mexico City, Mexico

January 14, 2025—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 Vermont School located in Mexico City, Mexico.  ARISS conducts 60-100 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.
 
Vermont School teaches Junior and High School level students English, French, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Their goal is to offer holistic education based on UNESCO’s action frameworks, promoting life transformation, peace, sustainable development, and equal opportunities for all. Their programs also emphasize critical thinking, self-sufficiency, and adaptability.
 
This will be a telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of astronaut Nick Hague, amateur radio call sign KG5TMV. 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 Casale Monferrato, Italy. The amateur radio volunteer team at the ground station will use the call sign, IK1SLD to establish and maintain the ISS connection.
 
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for January 17, 2025 at 11:00 am CST (Mexico City, MX) (17:00:18 UTC, 12:00 pm EST, 10:00 am MST, 9:00 am PST).
 
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As time allows, students will ask these questions:
1. What steps did you take to become an astronaut and to travel to space?
2. What did you find challenging in your training?
3. What roles do astronauts perform on the ISS?
4. What kind of food do you typically eat in a day on the ISS?
5. What happens to the liquids in the body when there is no gravity?
6. How often do you get sick while in space, and how do you undergo medical check-ups?
7. Does time feel like it passes faster or slower when you are in space?
8. How does the silence of space compare to the quietest moments you experience on Earth?
9. How did your training help you achieve mission success on the ISS?
10. What is the most impressive thing you have ever seen in space?
11. Is it possible to observe Earth rotation on its axis or its orbit around the Sun from space?
12. What has been the greatest challenge of living and working in space, and how did you overcome it?
13. What research are you currently conducting in your lab?
14. What crops have you been able to grow on the ISS so far?
15. How are you preparing for deep space exploration missions of the future?
16. If you could go back in time five years, what would you change and why?
17. What is the next step you aim to take in your career?

ARISS News Release                                                                                           No. 25-02

Message to US Educators
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Contact Opportunity

Call for Proposals
New Proposal Window is January 13, 2025 – February 28, 2025

January 14, 2025 --- The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) Program is seeking formal and informal education institutions and organizations, individually or working together, to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS.  ARISS anticipates that the contact would be held between July 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. Crew scheduling and ISS orbits will determine the exact contact dates. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan.
 
The deadline to submit a proposal is February 28th, 2025. Proposal information and more details such as expectations, proposal guidelines and the proposal form can be found at www.ariss.org. An ARISS Introductory Webinar session will be held on January 22nd at 8 PM ET.  The Zoom link to sign up is:  https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/kznKuyHCRyKi8_j00JBd_g
 
 
The Opportunity
Crew members aboard the International Space Station will participate in scheduled Amateur Radio contacts. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.
 
An ARISS contact is a voice-only communication opportunity via Amateur Radio between astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station and classrooms and communities. ARISS contacts afford education audiences the opportunity to learn firsthand from astronauts what it is like to live and work in space and to learn about space research conducted on the ISS. Students also will have an opportunity to learn about satellite communication, wireless technology, and radio science. Because of the nature of human spaceflight and the complexity of scheduling activities aboard the ISS, organizations must demonstrate flexibility to accommodate changes in dates and times of the radio contact.
 
Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Canada, Japan, Europe and Russia present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio. 
 
Please direct any questions to [email protected] .