ARISS contact planned with Explorers Club, New York City

An ARISS educational radio contact is planned with The Explorers Club, New York City, New York. The event is scheduled Saturday October 25, 2014 at 16:36:09 UTC, which is 18.36 CEST. It will be a telebridge contact, operated by IK1SLD.

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

Moreover, the contact will be broadcast on EchoLink AMSAT (node 101 377) and JK1ZRW (node 277 208) Conference servers, as well as on IRLP Discovery Reflector 9010.

School inrformation:

The Explorers Club is an international multidisciplinary professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research and the ideal that it is vital to preserve the instinct to explore. Founded in New York City in 1904, The Explorers Club promotes the scientific exploration of land, sea, air, and space by supporting research and education in the physical, natural and biological sciences. The Club’s members have been responsible for an illustrious series of famous firsts: First to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mount Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean, first to the surface of the moon—all accomplished by our members.

The Explorers Club actively encourages public interest in exploration and the sciences through its public lectures program, publications, travel program, and other events. The Club also maintains Research Collections, including a library and map room, to preserve the history of the Club and to assist those interested and engaged in exploration and scientific research. The Club houses a radio room and amateur radio station K2XP.

On Oct. 25, 2014 The Explorers Club will host a special all-day event focusing on the history of human spaceflight at Explorers Club headquarters in New York. This year’s venue will feature astronauts and space-flight participants from several missions using the Cold War as a backdrop – Apollo, Soyuz, Space Shuttle and SpaceShipOne. The day will include a mix of straight-up talks, “Exploring Legends” interviews by Jim Clash, and panel discussions. Among confirmed story-tellers so far are Gen. Charles Duke, Apollo 16 moonwalker (and CapCom for the Apollo 11 lunarlanding); Richard Garriott and Greg Olsen, both of whom flew aboard Soyuz to ISS; four-time Shuttle/Soyuz veteran Leroy Chiao; Walter Cunningham, Apollo 7 Lunar Module pilot; Catherine “Cady” Coleman, who performed a live flute duet with Ian Anderson aboard ISS (and who will play at the Club’s event); and Brian Binnie, who piloted SpaceShipOne to win the Ansari X Prize in 2004. The ARISS contact and interview will be an integral segment of this human-exploration experience and public discovery.

The following 16 questions were assembled from Space Stories presenters, students, Explorers Club members and space-related personnel. These individuals may or may not ask the question as they might be speaking as part of the Space Stories event.

1. Jim Clash, ticket holder Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo: Einstein says time slows down as you speed up. Does this apply to ISS astronauts flying 17,500 mph? If so, how much less do you age versus people on Earth?

2. Charles Duke, Apollo 16 moonwalker: What is the most interesting science experiment you are working on?

3. Jim Enterline, K2XP Explorers Club radio station manager: Has ham radio been one of your hobbies before or since your NASA training?

4. Annaliese Ruth Simons, 5th Grade, Frost Elementary School, East Brunswick NJ: What do you do for fun in space?

5. Hugh Yamamura, 7-year-old student, Tokyo, Japan: From space, can you see meteors as they enter Earth's atmosphere?

6. Walt Cunningham, Apollo 7 LM pilot: Has the elimination of military pilot experience had a positive or negative impact on crew operations?

7. Brian Binnie, SpaceShipOne pilot: Space debris in general, but also specifically it seems that someone might deliberately launch and blow up something on ISS's inclination with the intent of making your lives miserable. How good is the "early warning alert" for you to maneuver out of harm's way?

8. Tom Barry, Manager, Community Engagement & STEM Initiatives, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum: Did you have expectations about what being an astronaut is like - and how does the reality of your job compare?

9. Ashok van de Meer, age 8, Red Hook, NJ: Can astronauts see polar ice caps shrinking from year to year or any other visible effects of global warming from space?

10. Charles Van, Norfolk, VA: Are any artificial gravity experiments being conducted on ISS, such as using rotating segments to simulate a gravity environment?

11. Mark Holden, President - Boothe Memorial Astronomical Society, Stratford, CT: ISS has been our best opportunity to gather information about long-term missions. Other than funding, what are the most important problems to overcome for a manned mission to Mars?

12. Mark O'Gara, Amateur Astronomers Association of NY: On the night side of Earth when you look out to stars, what are the limits of your ability to see? Can you see galaxies like M81/M82 with the naked eye, or is it the same stuff we see, but clearer?

13. Steven Zaretsky, Harrison, NY: Are any of you religious, and if so, how do you feel about practicing faith in space?

14. Alex Attanasio, New York, NY: How much Delta-V do you actually get from thrusters on the station alone? How much can they affect your orbit and orientation or can that only be done with a push from a Soyuz or other docked vessel?

15. Joan Vandenberg: What do you miss most about not being on Earth?

16. Tucker Hewes, New York, NY: Does the moon look bigger from space?

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