Wednesday October 20, 2004

 

RUSSIAN COSMONAUT YURI SHARGIN ANSWERS QUESTIONS OF FINNISH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS    

Tuesday October 19th 2004, high school students of Pori, Finland talked with Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin onboard the International Space Station.

The radio contact was established at 07:13 GMT when the ISS rose over the horizon in Pori. The Cosmonaut had already been calling the ground station OH1F in Pori a minute before and had been heard calling in western Europe.

From the very beginning of the radio contact to the end at 07:22 GMT, when the ISS went over the Pori horizon, the signals from space were loud and clear.

In this report, time is expressed in GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). This is the expression used by the Russian Space Agency Energia, whereas the NASA uses the expression UTC (Universal Time Coodinated). Both espressions are equivalent. Since this ARISS School Contact was coordinated with Energia, we use GMT for the report.

Answering the questions of the Finnish students, Yuri Shargin said that he enjoys talking with his colleagues during their free time and also listening to music. His scientific work progresses satisfactorily and the food is delicious.

The Finnish ground station OH1F was operated by Timo, OH1NOA. Students, teachers, hams and media assisted to the contact (radio, TV and press).  

A second ARISS School Contact has been scheduled for Yuri Shargin during his short stay onboard. Next Friday October 22nd  2004, pupils of the primary school “Zonnebloem” (Turnsole) visiting the Science Exhibition in Hasselt, Belgium will have the opportunity to put their questions to the Cosmonaut:

1. My name is Samuel. What do you see when you look through the window ? OVER

2. My name is Nina. What kind of experiments are you doing ? OVER

3. My name is Tom. How big is the ISS ? OVER

4. My name is Celine. How do you eat and drink in space ? OVER

5. My name is Sien. Is there a limit of time you can stay in space? OVER

6. My name is Kasper. What education do you need to become a cosmonaut ? OVER

7. My name is Ruben. What is the temperature outside and inside the ISS? OVER

8. My name is Charissa. When do you wear your space suit and is it heavy? OVER

9. My name is Ken. Did you ever meet the Belgian astronaut Frank Dewinne? OVER

10. My name is Celien. Does space ends somewhere? OVER

11. My name is Birthe. How long does it take to get you from earth to the ISS? OVER

12. My name is Brecht. How many kilometers per hour do you travel OVER

13. My name is Katinka. Do you think there are living beings far from earth? OVER

14. My name is Yenthel. Is there any danger to be hit by comets or meteroids? OVER

15. My name is Melanie. How do you provide the oxygen supply at the ISS? OVER

16. My name is Gert-Jan. Is there any noise in space? OVER

17. My name is Charline. How many people are onboard the ISS? OVER

18. My name is Lisa. What do you do if someone gets ill? OVER

19. My name is Tim. Where and how do you sleep? OVER

20. My name is Sofie. Do you have plants or animals onboard the ISS? OVER

This will be a telebridge contact operated by the ARISS groundstation ON4ISS. The signals from space will be audible in Europe on 145.800 MHz FM.

Gaston Bertels, ON4WF

ARISS Europe chairman