The International Space Station

ARISS event - Castor Valley ES, Greely, Ontario, Canada

An International Space Station Expedition 18 ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at the Castor Valley Elementary School in Greely, Ontario, Canada on 27 January.
The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 1934 UTC.

The contact will be a direct between stations NA1SS and VA3ITB. 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.

Castor Valley Elementary School is a French Immersion site in the Ottawa District School Board. It is nestled in the cornfields of Greely found on the outskirts of Ottawa, the Canadian capital. There are currently 660 students enrolled at CVES attending Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8 classes. Castor Valley students are eagerly awaiting January 27th, anticipating what it will be like to communicate with Commander Mike Finke aboard the ISS. We are very excited to make contact with someone who is not on this planet.

Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:
1. Can you see pollution on earth from space?
2. How do you talk to your family from space?
3. What are some of the most important qualities to becoming a good astronaut?
4. What are the changes that happen to your body when you're in space and then when you return to earth?
5. What time is it in space right now? On earth we have many different time zones. Does this affect you in space?

6. What kind of defenses do you have to protect you from space junk?
7. What is one of the most exciting things that you have seen in space?
8. Since you've been in space have you ever been in danger?
9. Do you think your job as an astronaut will change the world in a positive way? If yes, in what way?
10. What do you do in your spare time?

11. Are there any similarities between living in space and living on earth?
12. What has been your greatest challenge living on the International Space Station?
13. What activity do you enjoy most while in space?
14. Can you provide examples of how research is conducted in space?
15. Are there any man-made structures that are visible to the naked eye as you look down at earth right now?

16. How many times do you orbit the world in one year?
17. Have animals, like cats and dogs ever been in outer space?

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

Next planned event(s):
1. CERAM EAI RUE Albert Einstein Sophia Antipolis, France, Thu 2009-01-29 14:59 UTC via VK4KHZ

2. Ecole & Collège Jean XXIII, Pamiers, France, Fri 2009-01-30 13:13 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,

Kenneth - N5VHO