ARISS school contact planned November 8, 2012 – Downlink audible over Europe

An International Space Station school contact has been planned Thursday 08 Nov with participants at Comprensivo di Govone, Scuola Secondaria di primo grado “Nino Costa” di Priocca and Istituto Comprensivo di Diano d’Alba, Priocca, Italy. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:04 UTC, which is 13.04 CEWT.

The contact will be direct between OR4ISS and IK1SLD. The downlink signals should be audible over Europe. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.800 MHz FM.

The two Junior High schools "Nino Costa" of Priocca and "T.L. Dalmasso" of Govone are integral part of the Comprehensive School of Govone in the province of Cuneo. The municipal territories of the Comprehensive School of Govone are situated on the left bank of the river Tanaro; this districit, which is a hilly country, is called "Roero" and it is famous for its fine wines. The inhabitants live mostly in the plain where the schools are located, while on the top of the hill there is the old town centre with the townhall. The students come from the small towns of Govone, Priocca, Magliano Alfieri, Castellinaldo, San Damiano. The school is attended by about 300 pupils, aged between 3 and 13 years.

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

1. Erica: How did you train for the space mission?

2. Francesco: When did you decide to become an astronaut and what schools did you attend in order to do that?

3. Ivan: How do you feel before leaving for a space mission?

4. Davide: How do you communicate with your family? Do you miss them?

5. Paolo: What kind of experiments are you doing onboard the ISS now?

6. Margherita: What are your emotions when you are in space and what’s the Earth like seen from above?

7. Umberto: What’s your daily routine in the space? Is there a difference between night and day?

8. Sabina: How do you supply yourselves with water?

9. Alessandro: Did you have the opportunity to land and wander outside your ISS?

10. Matteo: Is getting along with one another easy or difficult onboard the ISS?

11. Gabriele: What’s the temperature like onboard your ISS?

12. Denisa: What do you usually do in case of damage or a breakdown or if an astronaut gets sick?

13. Sanae: Can plants grow onboard your ISS?

14. Leonardo: Are you scared when you are onboard?

15. Francesco: Which problems are connected with the absence of gravity?

16. Francesca: What material is your space suit made of?

17. Stefano: What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you come back on Earth?

18. Matteo: What do you usually eat onboard?

19. Alessandro: How do you keep fit?

20. Antonio: How do you dispose of waste and rubbish onboard your 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.

Gaston Bertels, ON4WF

ARISS Chairman