February 4, 2009

ARISS CONTACT PLANNED WITH PILTON BLUECOAT JUNIOR SCHOOL, BARNSTAPLE, UK

An International Space Station ARISS school contact has been planned with participants at the Pilton Bluecoat Junior School, Barnstaple, UK on 06 February. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 14.52 UTC.

The contact will be a direct between stations OR4ISS and G0NPV. The contact should be audible over most of Europe. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.800 MHz downlink. The participants are expected to conduct the conversation in English.

Pilton Bluecoat school has 260 pupils aged between 7 to 11 years old.  The school is situated in the town of Barnstaple which has a population of 34,000.  Barnstaple is close to the surfing beaches of North Devon and is a popular tourist destination.  Children come from a range of social backgrounds, mostly from the immediate area close to the school.  School is proud on the vibrancy of the curriculum and is always seeking ways to make activities interesting, relevant, practical and enjoyable. This is reflected in the way they present the school environment, where they work hard to ensure it is well organized, stimulating and a place where children can grow as young citizens.  They encourage the children to pursue their own ideas and celebrate individual creativity.

The participants will ask as many of the following questions as time allows:
1. What inspired you to become an astronaut?
2. What do you remember most from your training?
3. What is your greatest achievement as an ISS astronaut?
4. When the rocket fires at launch how do you feel?
5. Has being an astronaut changed the way you feel about life?
6. What dangers do you face whilst living on the space station?
7. What do you do if there is an equipment failure on board?
8. What happens if a crew member becomes unwell?
9. Are there any times during a mission when you feel nervous?
10. What is the most unpopular job on the ISS?
11. What would you do during a typical 24 hours on board?
12. How do you feel when you return to Earth after a long mission?
13. What discoveries have been made on the space station that have benefited the people on Earth?
14. How do you know when it is night and day and when to sleep and get up?
15. When looking at the Earth from the space station can you see any man-made objects?
16. Do you feel closer to God in Space or on Earth?
17. How do you wash your clothes and dishes on the space station?
18. Have you or any other members of the crew seen any unidentified objects whilst in space?
19. How do you celebrate Christmas and birthdays in space?
20. Will it be possible for you to visit us if you ever come to the UK?

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