Plan Today For Your School to Have an ARISS Contact
According to ARRL ARISS Program Manager Rosalie White, K1STO, a record number of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station school contacts have been made during 2007 -- 74, to be exact. This is nearly twice the highest number of school contacts the astronauts and the ARISS Team handled in previous years. "Though the ARISS Team's expectations are a little lower for being able to achieve this level of contact activity in 2008, this is a good time to file an application and begin making preparations for your school to have an ARISS contact," White said.
The 2007 Amateur Radio activity was led by the energetic participation of astronauts Sunita Williams, KD5PLB, and Clay Anderson, KD5PLA. They have significantly reduced the backlog of schools waiting for a contact. The ARISS Team plans to award a Certificate of Appreciation to Anderson. The astronaut set a new record for ARISS school contacts. White said, "A successful ARISS contact with a school in Quebec was the 39th contact made by Expedition 15 crew members, surpassing the record set by the Expedition 12 crew for the most contacts made during an International Space Station expedition."
The ARISS school application, as well as instructions for completing and submitting all necessary materials, can be found at the ARISS Web site. You will find that one portion of the application asks for a few paragraphs about the robust educational activities that you hope to complete revolving around the school contact. These would be lessons the students would take part in before, during and after the school contact. If you need ideas, you can get lesson plans related to ham radio, technology and space from the ARRL Web site, or you can contact ARISS volunteer Rita Wright, KC9CDL, via e-mail for space-related lesson plans.
If all goes as planned, Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, will become a resident aboard the ISS as Commander of Expedition 18 in October 2008. When onboard the ISS during Expedition 9 in March 2004, he tremendously enjoyed his ham radio activity with schools and hams. He has said he is willing to devote some of his scheduled weekend relaxation time to school contacts. Expedition 18 is scheduled to run October 2008-April 2009.
Page last modified: 11:41 AM, 29 Nov 2007 ET
Page author: awextra@arrl.org
Copyright © 2007, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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