January 26, 2009

ARISS CONTACT PLANNED WITH CERAM, ANTIPOLIS, FRANCE

An International Space Station ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at CERAM EAI, Sophia Antipolis, France on 29 January. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 14.59 UTC; which is 15.59 CEWT.

The contact will be a telebridge between stations NA1SS and VK4KHZ. The contact should be audible over most of eastern Australia. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. Audio from the contact should also be available via the AMSAT conference on EchoLink and via the 9010 Discovery reflector on IRLP. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.

CERAM business school offers French and international students a 4 years bachelor degree with two years spent abroad in one of 25 partner universities in USA, Canada and Australia. Bachelor degrees cover Aviation, Engineering, Computer Science, Life science, Business and Communication. During the first two years more than 80% of the courses are taught in English.

Like a North American University, the CERAM Bachelors EAI is organized around colleges and departments. There are two colleges: The Technology College which comprises 5 departments (Aviation, Engineering, Computer Science, Life Science and Mathematics) and the Business College with its Business department and its Communication department. Located at Sophia Antipolis, the prime European Technopole near Nice, CERAM counts more than 2000 students with more than 25% international students. The Bachelor programs represent 500 students on site and 500 students abroad.

Participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:
1. Can you describe the sensation of being in space?
2. What are the consequences of micro gravity over time?
3. How long does it take to adapt to microgravity?
4. How is the difference between the training and the reality?
5. How does your body orient itself when in microgravity, knowing that your internal ear does not work properly?
6. Did you have surprises during your mission, for instance things you had not been trained for?
7. What are your missions on board?
8. How does it feel to be in space and look at Earth?
9. Does the fact of having been in Space will or have changed your life and your vision of the world?
10. Can you explain the space shuttle motion and trajectory to reach the space station, for example its rotation during the climbing?
11. According to you what does the space station represent for the scientific community and the world in general?
12. Do you consider the astronaut job to be risky? Which risks are there?
13. What are the main difficulties to face to go into space?
14. How many persons are selected to become astronaut and for how long?
15. What is the physical training to become an astronaut?
16. What was your most impressive mission in the space station or into space?
17. What is the required training to do before a mission in the space station?
18. How long does a classical mission in space or in the space station last?
19. What are the steps to pass through to become an astronaut?
20. Is there a limiting age to become an astronaut?

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 onboard 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.

Gaston Bertels, ON4WF

ARISS-Europe chairman

http://www.ariss-eu.org