ARISS contact 21.1.

An ARISS educational school contact is planned for US astronaut Mike Hopkins KF5LJG with students at Maine Regional School Unit 21, Kennebunk, ME, USA.

The contact is scheduled on Thursday January 21, 2021 at approximately 18:27 UTC, which is 19:27 CEWT. The link to the ISS will be operated by the amateur radio telebridge station IK1SLD, located in northern Italy. Downlink signals will be audible in Europe on 145.800 MHz FM.

School Information:

RSU21 and Sea Road School are „all systems go“ for a contact with the International Space Station. RSU21 is made up of the neighboring towns of Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel located on the Southern coast of Maine. The area is best known for beautiful beaches, fresh seafood and being the summer home to two U.S. Presidents. Sea Road school has 325 students in grades 3 – 5. All students in the district, starting at pre-Kindergarten, are immersed in STEM class and methodology. STEM is also actively supported in the community. For example, this project came into being due to a close collaboration with Sea Road School´s STEM team and the local Amateur Radio club.

The students are very familiar with the pursuits of the ISS as they have paid close attention to the voyages of Maine residents and astronauts Chris Cassidy and Jessica Meir. There is a host of activities the students will participate in preparation for the live contact in January. Students will have the opportunity to listen to a story read by an astronaut on the ISS, train to be an astronaut in PE class, paint starry night pictures in art class and even eat „space food“ favorites prepared by Nutrition Services staff. It will be an honor, a thrill and a once in a lifetime opportunity for students to speak with an astronaut on the ISS.

Students First Names and Questions:

1. Evelyn (11): How do you communicate with your family at home?
2. Torben (10): What do you miss the most from home?
3. Mia (10): How did you feel when you looked back and saw earth for the first time?
4. Rory (10): What are your favorite scientific experiments on the ISS right now?
5. Elise (8): Do magnets behave the same way in space as they do on Earth?
6. Tyler (10): What is the most dangerous part of being in space?
7. Ruby (9): What does it smell like in the space station?
8. Jack (10): How do you stay in shape on the ISS?
9. Scotia (10): What happens if someone gets hurt in space?
10. Oliver (9): How long and hard did you train to be an astronaut?
11. Evelyn (11): What are the side effects of being in space?
12. Torben (10): How do you conquer your fear in space?
13. Mia (10): What does a day in an astronaut’s life look like?
14. Rory (10): Have you seen any super rare and awesome things in space?
15. Elise (8): Do stars look closer when you’re in space?
16. Tyler (10): What’s your favorite part of being an astronaut?
17. Ruby (9): Does the food you eat taste different than it does on earth?
18. Jack (10): Do you think we are the only intelligent life forms in the universe?
19. Scotia (10): What classes in school helped you the most as an astronaut?
20. Oliver (9): What surprised you most about being in space or on the ISS?

About ARISS:

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS). In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation(AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org

Gaston Bertels, ON4WF