Things are now moving full speed as ahead as we quickly close in on our Amateur Radio contact with the International Space Station.  While preparing for this contact began over a year ago the rush is now on to complete the last pieces required to create a successful contact.  Teachers and students from grades 5 – 8 are working through space and radio curriculum applications, preparing questions for the astronauts, and excitedly waiting to hear about our official ISS contact time.

Preparation for the contact began over a year ago with the ARISS application process.  This is the process which brought my school and me into the amazing world of Amateur Radio.  The application asked us to prove that we provided several opportunities for our students to access curriculum centered around the concepts of radio and space sciences.  In our application, I was able to include that our 6th-grade science curriculum covered space, our 8th-grade science curriculum covered radio communications, we annually hold an Astronomy and STEM night for all students, and our 7th-grade team already provided a skype contact with a NASA Engineer after their Science Fiction unit.  We have since included new opportunities for students to access space and radio sciences by participating in a High Altitude Balloon launch, planting seeds that were brought to the International Space Station, visiting the Boston Museum of Science for the special exhibit on space and the international space station, building rovers and participating in an egg drop, having our pre-engineering program work on solutions for the ISS, and building amateur radio into our annual STEM nights.

One of the best parts of working toward this contact has been the relationship that has been forged with the Nashua Area Radio Society.  The application suggested that we reach out and partner with a local radio club.  I believe we lucked out being located just across the bridge from NARS and that there are so many members dedicated to helping students discover Amateur Radio.  Without this relationship, this contact would never have been possible.  This relationship provided us with the ability to expose students to Amateur Radio through a comprehensive curriculum with the High-Altitude Balloon Launch, chances for students to get on the air at our annual STEM night and through our hosting of their ARRL Field Day activities.  We have also been able to work to provide student amateur radio licensing in our first school licensing course and our new school radio club.

In just the past few weeks preparation has accelerated as we near our possible contact dates.  Students and teachers from the 5th through 8th grade worked on questions to ask the astronauts.  Staff was provided with previously asked questions and links to NASA and ISS research.  In just a few short weeks questions rolled in from the students at all levels.  Teachers that teach ELA, Social Studies, Math, Science, PLTW, and 5th grade were invested in helping students developing thoughtful questions.  In the end, we had a stack of over 300 questions to chose from.  Students questions ranged from inquiries about science experiments to how the ISS provides clean air for the astronauts to breath.  It was an incredibly difficult process to narrow down the questions to twenty-three and then to select the fourteen students that would ask questions.  One might ask why we only went with fourteen students.  The answer is simply that with a ten-minute contact window, we wanted to make sure that every student asking questions would get a chance to talk to the astronauts before the end of the contact.  While there are twenty-three prepared questions that include entries from other anonymous students, we wanted to make sure every direct participant had this once in a lifetime experience and did not get left out because the pass ends before they asked their question.

Along with questions, we have had to provide a story about our local school to the ARISS people as a bio of our school population.  We are working now on a media press release that will be sent to WMUR, Hudson Cable Television, the Nashua Telegraph, and the Hudson Litchfield News as soon as we have our final contact date.  We are working with the students that are selected to go over how to ask their questions, what the set-up will look like on the day of the contact, and how close to the microphone they need to be to make sure their question is heard.  We are also working on how and what additional programming we will present to the school during the week of the contact and during the thirty minutes before the preparation.

It still amazes me how much our staff and students have learned about amateur radio and the ISS in just one year.  I know that I myself have grown immensely in my knowledge and understanding of a hobby and interest that I knew nothing about just two summers ago.  My one hope for my students after this contact is that we inspire more students to take an interest in science, space, the ISS, and amateur radio.   Who knows, maybe someday we will be contacting someone in space who sat in our auditorium during our ARISS contact.

A sincere thank you to everyone at the school and members of the Nashua Area Radio Society that are working so hard to make sure that our students get to experience this once in a lifetime event.  Your efforts are noticed and greatly appreciated.

Dan, AC1EN