ESA astronaut Frank De Winne, ON1DWN

ARISS contact planned with school in Napoli, Italy

An Expedition 20 ARISS school contact is planned for ISS Commander Frank De Winne with participants at Scuola Istituto Salesiano 'Sacro Cuore' Vomero, Napoli.

The Salesian Institute of Naples (Vomero District) is a religious school of Salesians, a priest community founded by St. John Bosco.

The students can attend classes from Secondary 1st grade to the High School, with a specialization in classical, scientific and law-economic-business studies. There are about 1,000 students, aged 10-18. Besides the regular courses, they also perform a lot of scientific, cultural, theatre and sports activities.

The planned Space Talk with ISS astronauts is the conclusion of a long curriculum organized by several teachers and covering the study of English, astronomy and physics. The students' interest was captured by presentations given by amateur radio operators on the history of radio transmissions, radio equipment, the structure and the scientific goals of the ISS, as well as real HF radio contacts with amateur radio stations from all over the world.

The enthusiasm of the students, the collaboration with the teachers, the mass media interest for this great scientific event, is a reference for the city of Naples and for those who are interested in the development of advanced techniques.

This direct contact is scheduled on Friday 13 November 2009 at 15:55 UTC, which is 16:55 CEWT. The downlink signals will be audible over Europe on 145.800MHz FM.

The audio will expectedly be distributed on *AMSAT* and *JK1ZRW* EchoLink servers.

Moreover, the video will be distributed real time on
http://93.63.4.230:81/cgi-bin/guestimage.html

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

1. Lellida: Can you see Italy from the Space Station?
2. Aldo: What natural phenomena on Earth can you observe from Space?
3. Marco: What European experiments are you currently carrying out on the ISS?
4. Enrico: Who pays for all the costs of the ISS project?
5. Basilio: Are you carrying out experiments related to ecology?

This image of the International Space Station in orbit was taken from the Space Shuttle Endeavour prior to docking. Credit: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

6. Carlo: Can you observe thunderstorms on Earth from the Space?
7. Luigi: Is the life on board much different from what you did expect?
8. Tania: What do your family and your friends think about your job?
9. Angelo: Do you communicate with amateur radio operators on Earth in your leisure time?
10. Marco: We know that you work very hard in space. What do you do to relax ?

11. Mattia: What kind of experiments do you perform in the medical field during your mission ?
12. Claudio: Is the perception of time on board the same as on Earth?
13. Gabriele: What's the speed of the ISS?
14. Domenico: What would happen if a meteorite came into collision with the ISS?
15. Emanuele: What is the weight of a spacesuit?

16. Gennaro: How long does it take to complete one orbit around the Earth?
17. Fabrizio: Which kind of energy do you use when you are in the shadow of the Earth?
18. Federica: What did astonish you most since you have been in Space?
19. Giorgia: How dangerous are space debris for the ISS?
20. Rita: Is it dangerous to pass through the atmosphere before landing?

21. Mattia: Would it be possible to produce artificial gravity on the ISS?
22. Simone: Is it possible to get disoriented inside the 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.

73

Gaston Bertels - ON4WF
ARISS Chairman