April 22,  2010

 

ARISS CONTACT PLANNED WITH EUROPEAN SCHOOL IN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, BRUSSELS

The European Parliament Brussels hosts cultural exhibitions, sponsored by Members of the European Parliament. These cultural events are not open to the general public, but reserved to the members of the Parliament and of the European Commission and their personnel.

 

April 26-30, 2010 an exhibition is set up by the International Amateur Radio Union in collaboration with the European Space Agency and sponsored by MEP Birgit  Sippel, Germany. The Exhibition's name is "European Amateur Radio Benefiting Society" and the thematics are Emergency, Education and Space.

 

Tuesday 27 April, students of the European School, Brussels will visit the Exhibition. An ARISS contact is planned at 12.50 UTC, which is 14.50 CEST.

 

The European School Brussels II  is situated near the heart of Brussels and serves the families of civil servants working with the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Institutions and also NATO. There are more than 3000 boys and girls aged 3-18, from 11 of the European Union countries in this school, which is divided into a Primary and a Secondary section. Lessons are delivered through 8 different language sections – each student receiving instruction in their mother tongue and, as they progress through the school, partly in a second language.

 

This chance to participate in an ARISS project has been actively embraced by the Science faculty  and it is here where the opportunities for curricular integration are gaining momentum. In the 1st Year Secondary (typically aged 11)  students study forces, gravity, weight and basic ideas about ‘fields’. In the 2nd Year,  studies of the Solar System, and well beyond, link directly to the Shuttle missions and the International Space Station. In Year 7 (the final Baccalaureate year, when most students are aged 18) the Physics section on ‘Gravitational Fields’ is mainly about the mechanics of planetary and satellite motion. Topics (and questions) are often presented within the context of NASA and ESA missions.

 

Because of the high profile of the location of the event – at the European Parliament Building in Brussels – there is considerable scope to raise awareness through media coverage, especially as this is the ‘model’ schooling for Europe.

 

The radio contact will be a telebridge, operated by ARISS ground station LU1CGB, located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The contact will be distributed over EchoLink and IRLP newtworks.

 

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

 

1. Stefanie: Do you sweat in the Space? What happens with the dirty laundry?

 

2.Mathilda: Do you do special exercises or eat specific food in order to maintain your physical condition during your travel in space?

 

3.Marie: Being so far away from Earth, how do you keep in contact with friends and family and do you keep track of current issues and if you do, do they affect you in any way?

 

4. Clemens-Hugo:  What’s the effect of zero gravity on cell growth? If cell growth is slower, would people live longer and would fewer people get cancer?

 

5. Amelie Mia: What do you do in your spare time?

 

6. Julian: I have heard that from space you can recognize Belgium because its highways are lit at night? Is this true? What else do you recognize?

 

7. Matas: How do you protect the space station from space debris?

 

8. Thomas: Did your character change since you came to the ISS? How do you handle differences of opinion?

 

9. Muriel: If a member of the crew unexpectedly gets ill, is there anyone on board with a medical education? Can he be treated like on earth? (eg. injections)

 

10. Benedikt: Have your experiments had results that are relevant for us on earth? Which effects do they have on our daily life?

 

11. Catarina: How do you navigate in space? How can you reach the ISS precisely with a space shuttle?

 

12 Jonathan: Do you have more fear in space than on earth?

 

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 Chairman