The International Space Station is seen from space shuttle Discovery during the STS-119 mission. Credit: NASA

Upcoming ARISS contact with Tenison Woods College, Mount Gambier, South Australia

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Tenison Woods College, Mount Gambier, South Australia on 24 August.
The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 07:19 UTC.

The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and K6DUE. The contact should be audible over the east coast of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.

Tenison Woods College is a reception to year 12 Catholic, Co-educational College. Over 1200 students attend Tenison from the South East Region of South Australia, and it is the biggest Catholic College in the area.

Tenison excels at providing creative, innovative customised learning programs to cater for the special gifts and talents of our students with special learning needs, and our Flexible Learning Program for senior students enables them to manage work, study and academic success in a program that caters specifically for their individual needs.

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

1. Are there any physical long term effects after going into space and how long does it take to regain full physical ability after coming back to Earth?
2. What does it feel like in the rocket when it blasts off?
3. What do you do up in space all day?
4. Does the space station need to change orbit much to avoid space debris and has it been hit by anything floating in space?
5. How long did it take to build the space station?

6. What kind of skills and training do you have to have to be an astronaut?
7. Are you finding new information or evidence from the Hubble telescope that will provide information about another planet or galaxy?
8. How do you go to the toilet without floating away and where does the waste go?
9. How long can people stay in outer space for?
10. How do you contact Earth if the connection is down?

11. Why did you want to become an astronaut?
12. What does the International Space Station actually do?
13. Do you feel closer to God in space?
14. Is it possible for life to live in space?
15. How long does it take to get to the International Space Station?

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

Next planned event(s):

1. Volkssterrenwacht Urania, Hove, Antwerp, Belgium Mon 24 August 09 11:30 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