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

Upcoming ARISS contact with Bel Ayr Pathfinders, Dartmouth, NS, Canada

An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Bel Ayr Pathfinders, Dartmouth, NS, Canada on 24 Oct.

The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 15:12 UTC. The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds.

The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and W6SRJ. The contact should be audible over the west 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.

The Bel Ayr Pathfinders are a part of the Bel Ayr District with is in Dartmouth Lakes Area. The Bel Ayr Pathfinders take part in many community projects such as helping with serving at numerous functions at the church in which we hold our meetings, meet with seniors and sing carols for them at Christmas, help run fun activities for younger branches of Girl Guides in Bel Ayr, collect items to send to a designated country in need of assistance, serve the community hot chocolate and cookies after Remembrance Day Ceremony, have a litter clean up in designated spot. The Pathfinders participating in space talk program will be able to earn one of the badges for Pathfinders called the Galactic Adventures badge.

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

1. How do you prepare your meals?
2. How do you bath, and if you use water, how do you collect it and where does it go?
3. When viewed from the Space Station do you see the Earth below as being fragile?
4. What kind of exercise do you do in space?
5. With 16 sunrises and sunsets a day do they all look the same or are they different like the different looks we get on earth?

6. Is it true that you can see the Great Wall of China from space?
7. What do you look forward to most when returning to earth?
8. Do you have any results yet from your experiment with bisphoshonates to reduce bone loss and if so, has it been successful?
9. What is it like to see the Earth from Space?
10. What is the temperature inside the ISS and how does it compare to that of Space?

11. Why did you want to become an astronaut?
12. Can you see the effects of pollution on the Earth from Space?
13. When in space are there a set numbers or limit of hours that you can spend working before taking a break?
14. From the Earth we can see exhaust trails left behind jets as they pass overhead. Can you see these from Space?
15. Does your body physically change when in space and if so, how?

16. Do constellations look the same from the Space Station as they do from earth?
17. Given the close quarters of the ISS, how does the crew cope with being in one space for so long?
18. Do the stars twinkle when seen from Space?
19. Have attempts to grow plants in Space been met with success and if so what kinds?

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,

David - AA4KN