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 Previous: In Brief |  Next: The Amateur Amateur: Saturday in the Park with Ray (Part I) |
 A student at Neston Primary School prepares to ask her question of astronaut Ed Lu, KC5WKJ, at the controls of NA1SS on the ISS. |
NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 14, 2003--Youngsters at two locations in England got to speak via ham radio with NASA International Space Station Science Officer Ed Lu, KC5WKJ, this month. Pupils at Neston Primary School in Wiltshire talked with Lu--at the controls of NA1SS--on August 6. A group of somewhat older space campers--aged 11 to 13--at Soar Valley College in Leicester had the same opportunity two days later. Both successful contacts were arranged via the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program.
The primary
schoolers took time away from their summer holiday to participate in the space
contact, first applied for last year. Since then, space-related subjects have
gotten special attention in the curriculum. When the opportunity arose to
schedule a contact this month, the children prepared a list of 20 questions for
Lu and got to ask all of them in the space of the approximately 10-minute
direct 2-meter contact.
 The ARISS Neston contact control ops bask in the light of the media attention. |
 The antenna system set up for the Neston Primary School QSO. |
A couple of the pupils asked about the construction of the ISS. "What was the reason for building the ISS?" one asked.
"I think the big reason is to help us learn the things that we need to learn before we start flying off to much further destinations--like to Mars, back to the moon, the asteroids and to explore our solar system," Lu said. "There's a lot of things that we really need to learn--and learn much better--before we're ready to go do that."
Lu explained that the ISS was still under construction, and he didn't expect it to be completed for another five years, although even that timeframe remains uncertain with the shuttle fleet still grounded.
Lu said again
that he hopes humans reach Mars within his lifetime because he certainly would like
to go there himself. "Maybe one of you will get to go," he added. "I hope so."
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He told both student groups that being in space has been an enjoyable experience. The view from the ISS is great, and the crew members get to fly, "and that is a lot of fun," he told the Neston youngsters, who applauded enthusiastically at the end of the QSO.
The Neston contact got widespread media coverage with several TV and radio stations and newspapers sending crews to cover the event. "Few people in the UK will be unaware of this ARISS school contact," said ARISS Vice Chair Gaston Bertels, ON4WF. Charles Riley, G4JQX, set up a Amateur Radio satellite station at the school to carry out the contact. The school worked with Howard Long, G6LVB--AMSAT-UK's delegate and ARISS representative--and with the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), which parked its GB4FUN "Funmobile" outside the school for the occasion.
At the Soar Valley College Science Camp,
several students posed questions about the food available aboard the ISS. One
youngster asked if the menu of canned and packaged meals ever got boring
 A Soar Valley College science camper poses her question to Ed Lu, KC5WKJ. |
 Lu told Soar Valley Science campers that there are always a few surprises when it comes to space travel. He said he and crewmate (and Expedition 7 commander) Yuri Malenchenko, RK3DUP, this week have been trying to troubleshoot a problem with the cooling system of Lu's space suit. |
"We probably have a couple of hundred different varieties of food that we can choose from up here," Lu said. "So, pretty much every day you can eat something different." Gone are the days when space travelers have to suck liquefied meals through a tube, however. "What we've got right now is a pretty good-sized area where we can eat," Lu said. The ISS galley includes a table and food warmers and a supply of water to rehydrate meals. "Almost nothing that we eat actually comes out of a tube anymore," he added.
While being in zero gravity can be fun, Lu told the science campers that it has its advantages and disadvantages. "Sometimes, having no gravity up here is great," he said. "You can fly places, you can move extremely heavy objects." At other times, it's difficult to do certain tasks because of no gravity. Lu said the crew needs to always remember to secure items to keep them from floating around in the cabin, he said. "It's just a mindset you have to get used to."
Soar Valley College is a secondary school with an enrollment of approximately 1200 students. It features an Amateur Radio and satellite/computing club to promote interest in technology, space studies, and Amateur Radio training and instruction. Science teacher Derek Hatton, G4GWI, is the driving force behind the educational effort.
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The school's three-day science camp featured series of experiments that included the building and launching of solid-fuel rockets, but the ARISS QSO was the highlight of the session.
Derek Hatton handled earth-station duties
from the school's M0SVC club station. In all Lu answered 13 questions put to
him by the participating Soar Valley science campers. Local media also were on
hand to report on the event and interview some of the youngsters. AMSAT-UK's
Long also assisted in the Soar Valley QSO.--some information provided by Gaston Bertels, ON4WF
| Previous: In Brief | Next: The Amateur Amateur: Saturday in the Park with Ray (Part I) |
