ARISS contact planned with Institut Florimont, Geneva, Switzerland

An ARISS educational radio contact is planned with Institut Florimont, Geneva, Switzerland. The event is scheduled Wednesday September 17 at 08:17 UTC, which is 10.17 CEST. It will be a direct contact, operated by 4U1ITU, the amateur radio clubstation of the International Telecommunications Union Headquarters.

Downlink signals will be audible in Europe on 145.800 MHz narrowband FM.

School presentation:

Institut Florimont is a co-educational day school offering children from 3 to 18 years of age a complete education from kindergarten to the three diplomas that will open the doors to higher education. As well as encouraging academic excellence, Florimont fosters the traditional values and beliefs that are important for life.

Since 1905, Florimont has been preparing students for the French Baccalaureat and, as of 1942, for the Swiss Maturité. From September 2014 our range of final examinations will include the bilingual (French-English) International Baccalaureate. Therefore, Florimont will offer children even more opportunities and more choices, allowing them easier access to the world's best universities.

The four sections of our school work together to ensure the continuity and coherence of the programme of study. Clear procedures are in place to ensure that new students joining us from other private or public schools are successfully integrated. Close communication with parents, additional lessons and one-to-one tutoring are just some of the ways that Florimont supports students during their studies.

Our student body is made up of more than fifty nationalities making Florimont a rich multi-cultural and multi-lingual learning environment. The importance we attach to this is reflected in our language learning programme. In addition to English, emphasis is placed on German, Switzerland's predominant language, as well as on Chinese, Spanish and Italian. Other languages such as Russian and Arabic are individually tutored or taught to small groups.Bilingual classes in French and English are offered from the first year of the middle school.

Priority is given to partnerships and exchanges with leading schools worldwide, as well as to many activities that can add value to a university application.

Our students are encouraged to be entrepreneurial, bold, adaptable and creative because we know that these qualities will not only strengthen their university applications but also prepare them to face the challenges of working life.

Students will ask as many of following questions as time allows:

1. Gaella: Are the mobile phones working fine in space?

2. Adriano: How do you wash yourself on the ISS?

3. Edouard: Can you create a gravitational field on the ISS as if you'd be on earth?

4. Santiago: What were your motivations to become an astronaut?

5. Ana: Can you really see the Chinese Great Wall from space?

6. Cecilia: Do you feel isolated in space?

7. Gabriele: At what speed are you travelling right now?

8. Sappho: Are there any women with you at the ISS?

9. Sebastien: What do you do in your free time?

10. Alejandro: How do you come back to Earth after your mission?

11. Antoine: How long have you already been in space?

12. Hugo: What is this effect of absence of gravity on your body?

13. Morgane: How do you communicate with your family?

14. Anastasia: Do you talk also with radio amateurs or only with schools?

15. Diane: Can you see the ozone layer around the Earth?

16. Martin: What do you feel seeing sunrises and sunsets more than one per day?

17. Adriano: Do you have to protect yourself against cosmic radiation?

18. Alessandro: Does the absence of gravity disturb the blood circulation in your body?

19. Maksim: What thing did surprise you the most when arriving on the ISS?

20. Edouard: What do you dream about when you are on the ISS?

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.

73,

Gaston Bertels, ON4WF

ARISS Europe Chairman