The International Space Station is viewed from space shuttle Endeavour after undocking

ARISS event - Hampton Bays Middle School, Hampton Bays, New York, USA

An International Space Station Expedition 18 ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at the Hampton Bays Middle School, Hampton Bays, New York on 25 February. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 1357 UTC.

The contact will be a direct between stations NA1SS and W2AMC. The contact should be audible over most of eastern North America. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.

The Hampton Bays School District serves a small community nestled on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean on Long Island, 125 miles from New York City. The students who will be asking questions have been picked from among those who participated in an essay contest. Their curriculum includes topics on the solar system and space exploration.

The participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:

1. How do you dispose of garbage and human waste on the ISS?
2. How long is your assignment, and how long have you been on the Space Station so far?
3. What qualifications do you need to be on your mission?
4. Do you have trouble sleeping in zero gravity?
5. How is the temperature controlled on the ISS, and where do you get the energy for this?

6. How do you exercise to reduce muscle atrophy in space?
7. What is the most challenging part of your day in space?
8. How do you know when it is night and day and when to sleep and get up?
9. What happens if a crew member becomes sick?
10. What is you greatest achievement as an astronaut?

11. Do you have any concerns about oncoming meteorites or space debris?
12. What happens in case of an emergency such as a fire on the ISS?
13. What is your most important contribution on the ISS?
14. How often do you communicate with your family, and how?
15. How are your five senses affected in space?

16. Do you wear more than one watch, and if so, why?
17. How does microgravity affect the experiments you run?
18. What is the hardest thing to adjust to in space?
19. What is it like to ride in the Space Shuttle?
20. Is it noisy or quiet on the Space Station?

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

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,

Kenneth - N5VHO