ARISS Weekly Status Report - April 27, 2020

• April 20: A team of educators who are members of the ARISS-US Education Committee reviewed 15 ARISS Education Proposals from US schools and education groups. The proposals were submitted during the first 2020 ARISS-US Proposal Window and are being considered for education groups to host a future ARISS contact.  Earlier, the team had prepared a news release that was distributed to NASA EXPRESS and other outlets, and they also supported two webinars for interested educators.
  

• April: For several months, students from the North Virginia Schools Group in Woodbridge, VA have taken part in teacher-led STEM activities, and more recently, via e-learning. The activities were part of preparation for their upcoming ARISS contact with students taking part from home. Youth learned about space, stars, and Mars. They discussed the horizon line and how ISS communications can be heard only when Woodbridge is “in the footprint.”  They listened to an ARISS contact being held at a Pennsylvania school.
  

• March: An ARISS teacher at Council Rock South High School in Richboro, PA reported that months after their December ARISS contact, students continued to be enthused about space, communications, and the school ham club. Prior to mid-March when the school’s e-learning began, students designed a new banner and ham club member totals went from 5 to 30.  In February, a reporter came to school to do a story and quoted the teacher who called the ARISS events “the highlight of my 26 years in teaching” and saying, “I’ve never seen kids so vested in doing something.”  The Newtown Gazette article is at:  http://www.timespub.com/2020/02/03/cr-south-radio-club-talks-to-iss-a-second-time/
  

         ARISS Upcoming Events      

• April 30:  The Northern Virginia Schools Group in Woodbridge, VA will take part in a Multipoint Telebridge via Amateur Radio contact with Chris Cassidy.  This radio contact is re-configured to have students engage from their homes via videoconference, as schools are closed. This plan to accommodate social distancing is the first ARISS contact of this type.