Patients at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, will participate in an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. They will chat with ISS Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, KE5DNI, on Tuesday, September 21 at 1805 UTC. This will be a multipoint telebridge contact via amateur radio between the ISS and the hospital, with IK1SLD as the direct ISS-to-amateur radio contact point.

The downlink signal is 145.800 MHz, and those within the ISS footprint may be able to copy the ISS side of the exchange directly. Audio from IK1SLD will be relayed to the hospital via a telebridge. The Children’s Hospital is not a school, but it does work with school districts to coordinate home and hospital teachers to provide an educational program for patients. The hospital has partnered with the Alexandria Radio Club in Alexandria, Virginia.