ISS School Contact with Tregaron

For the first time, Welsh school students will talk to astronauts in orbit on the International Space Station.

Students, teachers and parents will be gathered at Tregaron Secondary School in Wales at 11:28 UTC on Thursday, 29 September 2005 to have the unique experience of talking to the astronauts as they orbit the Earth.

Passing at 400km above the school in space and travelling at 26,000km/h, the students will ask their questions and they will receive live answers from the astronauts themselves on board the International Space Station.

The opportunity to speak to the astronauts is organised by the ARISS organization together with NASA, and the equipment is prepared and operated by Amateur Radio enthusiasts.

Chris Greenfield, Head of Science at Tregaron Secondary School, was the catalyst for the contact with the astronauts. He said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for pupils to be inspired by the concept of space and adds another dimension to Science education. This is a historic event in a futuristic setting!”

Howard Long of ARISS said: “This is the chance of a lifetime for the students to speak to the astronauts in their working environment. Perhaps it will sow a seed in their hearts to consider space, science and telecommunications as an exciting career path. You never know, we might have the next Helen Sharman or Michael Foale sitting here right with us!”.

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The students have prepared the following questions:

1. Sannan:  What inspired you to become an astronaut?
2. Kayleigh:  What do you like about being an astronaut?
3. FFion: What is your favourite place on the Space Station?
4. Rachel:  Did it take a while for you to adjust to zero gravity?
5. Jessica. What do you study on the Space Station?
6. LLyr:  How is the Space Station powered?
7. Jemima:  What do you do if the Space Station loses power?
8. Elinor:  Do you worry that something might go wrong?
9. Rochelle:  Have you ever been scared in Space?
10. Elgan:  What do you do if someone is injured?
11. Lewis:  What do you do for entertainment?
12. LLyr:  How do astronauts keep fit?
13. Awen:  How do you select the tools for each mission?
14. Erin:  Are the space suits comfortable?
15. Alice:  Have you ever had any embarrassing moments in space?
16. Sannan:  How long does the oxygen supply last in the space
suits? .
17. Kayleigh:  If you cry in space, what happens to the tears?
18. FFion:  How many rooms does the Space Station have?
19. Rachel:  Do you have any books in space?
20. Jessica:  Have animals ever been born in space?

The downlink from the International Space Station can be received on 145.800 plus or minus Doppler Shift.
Tune to 145.805 at the start of the pass then after 3 minutes tune to 145.800 after another  3 minutes tune to 145.795 MHz.

For information on ISS pass times go to http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/predict/ and select ISS.

Further information on the ARISS programme is available on the  website http://www.ariss-eu.org/
The present News Bulletin is circulated to 675 subscribers. For free  subscription see website.

AMSAT-UK produce a quarterly newsletter "Oscar News" which is full of Amateur Satellite information.
For membership details contact the secretary Jim Heck
Tel: +44 (0)1258 453959
E-mail: g3wgm@amsat.org
Website: http://www.uk.amsat.org/
Online Satellite Pass Predictions:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/predict/

73 Trevor M5AKA
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A video of last weeks Tregaron School ISS Contact is at
http://www.g6lvb.com/tregaron2cut.wmv (16.7Mb).
Apologies for the audio quality on this video.

Trevor M5AKA
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