The International Space Station

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ARISS Event -
United Space School, Seabrook, Texas, USA

An International Space Station Expedition 17 ARISS school contact has been planned with participants from the United Space School in Seabrook, Texas, USA, on 31 July. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 18:45 UTC.

The contact will be a telebridge between stations NA1SS and ON4ISS. The contact should be audible in portions of Europe. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. In addition, the audio should be available via IRLP and EchoLink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.

The United Space School, a once a year session of high school students from all around the world meet annually in the NASA/Clear Lake Area.

The students attend a two week session, during which they stay with local host families while being mentored by astronauts, engineers, and scientists to design a mission to Mars as their team project. Class sessions are held at the University of Houston at Clear Lake. Students participating in the contact are from Bolivia, Italy, France, Australia, India, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, The Isle of Man, Canada and the United States. The students will use the knowledge gained from this contact to put together their team project presentation, which they will present to the Houston space community at the end of their session.

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

1. How long did it take you to get used to the weightless environment?
2. What are the most important tasks which you will perform during the mission?
3. How do you spend your free time in space?
4. Who are the people that have influenced you to be where you are today?
5. What has been the best experience whilst you have been in orbit?

The contact is expected to be conducted by astronaut Greg Chamitoff KD5PKZ

6. What is your biggest emotional adjustment to living in space?
7. What music do you listen to on the Space Station?
8. How do you get medical treatment on the Space Station? 9. Which piece of equipment do you find most useful on a daily basis?
10. How severe is
debris damage to the Space Station?

11. What do you miss the most when you are in Space?
12. Are your sleeping patterns in Space different to your sleeping patterns on Earth?
13. How do you calculate the time while you are in orbit around the Earth?
14. How do you cope with the background noise on the Space Station?
15. What is your favourite part of travelling into Space?

16. At night, what is the brightest area you can see on Earth?
17. What other robotics could be useful on the Space Station?
18. How would you describe the feeling of leaving Earth's environment?
19. What can you see out of the window right now?
20. Is it difficult sharing such a small space with others?

21. What personal items do you have with you on the Space Station?
22. What is your next scheduled activity following this radio link?

Information about the upcoming ARISS contacts can be found at http://www.rac.ca/ariss/upcoming.htm
#NextContact. Packet is transmitted on 145.825 simplex.

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.rac.ca/ariss (graciously hosted by the Radio Amateurs of Canada).

Thank you & 73,

Stephen H. Ponder, N5WBI