Friday 22^nd October 2004

COSMONAUT YURI SHARGIN HAS SPACETALK WITH SCHOOLCHILDREN VISITING SCIENCE EXHIBITION, BELGIUM

Friday October 22nd 2004, a group of schoolchildren visiting the Science Exhibition in Hasselt, Belgium had a Spacetalk with Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin onboard the International Space Station.

The radio contact was established by the ARISS telebridge station ON4ISS at 08:38 GMT when the ISS rose over the horizon.

The pupils of the primary school “Zonnebloem” had prepared 20 questions and 13 could be answered by the Cosmonaut before the ISS went over the horizon. The signals from Space were loud and clear. An audio recording of the Spacetalk is appended to this News Bulletin archived on the ARISS-Europe website.

When the contact was over the children presented a song written by their teacher to celebrate their Space rendez-vous.

A hundred schoolchildren and teachers witnessed the event which was covered by a radio station, a TV station and two widespread newspapers.

ON4ISS, the ARISS telebridge station, was operated by Philippe ON5PV. This was its “maiden run”. ARISS has telebridge stations in the USA, in Hawaii, in Australia, in South Africa and presently also in Europe.

The ARISS School Contacts operated by Yuri Shargin inaugurate an educational outreach cooperation with Energia, the Russian Space Agency. Let us express the wish that it will be sustained and fruitful.

Gaston Bertels, ON4WF

ARISS Europe chairman

Space Exhibition audio

Space Exhibition picture