ARISS contact planned with school in
An International Space Station school
contact has been planned
The contact will be performed by the
radio station IQ6LN and the downlink signal will be audible over
The Ortona Maritime Institute “Leone
Acciaiuoli” (I.T.N) is
a technical high school preparing the students to a career as officer on
merchant ships or to university studies in the field of engineering
disciplines. The subjects that characterize the I.T.N. programme are:
Navigation, Astronomy, Celestial navigation, Satellite navigation, Telecommunications
(including satellite telecommunications), Technical English, Nautical and
Aeronautical Meteorology, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and Physics. Many
courses deal with matters related to space technologies. The student
population is about 400.
The event will be broadcast in streaming
video on http://www.livestream.com/AMSAT_Italia/
Students will ask as many of following
questions as time allows.
1. Loris: We all believe you are special
people working together to achieve one common great goal. Are you proud of the
great moral and scientific value of your commitment?
2. Mauro: What is the relationship among
you being forced to live together in a confined place for an extended period of
time?
3. Pierluigi: What cultural requirements
must an astronaut satisfy besides very hard physical and psychological
training?
4. Andrea: Is it easier for astronauts
to get used to being weightless or to get used to gravity again when they come
back to Earth?
5. Antonio: What height is ISS orbiting
at and why was this specific height chosen?
6. Nichol: How is the ISS flight path
controlled?
7. Giada: When working outside the ISS
how are you protected from the space environment and the risk of flying away?
8. Angela: How long does the voyage back
down to the earth take? And how does it take place?
9. Iary: How do you feel when watching
the earth from the spacecraft window?
10. Causarano: Do you think living in
space might change your perception of the world and influence your future life
on earth?
11. Agnese: People say human beings age
slower in space than on earth. Is that true?
12. Tamara: How do days and nights
alternate up there and how often do you see the sun rising?
13. Francesca: How do you receive news
from the earth?
14. Federica: Do you ever happen to miss
your ordinary life on earth while being up there?
15. Carmen: What does astronauts’ diet
consist in and how is it usually prepared?
16. Giulia: How are water and oxygen
generated on board?
17. Mario: What research are you doing
and what benefits will result from it?
18. Matteo: We know you are growing
plants on board. Why?
19. Alessia: How do you dispose of
waste?
20. Francesco: Do you think people will
travel to space in the next future?
ARISS is an international educational
outreach program partnering the space agencies, NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, 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.
Gaston Bertels, ON4WF
ARISS Chairman