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An ARISS contact between the Covenant Christian Academy in West Peabody, MA and astronaut Loral O’Hara, KI5TOM on the International Space Station will take place starting at 9:47 am Eastern time today. The downlink from the astronaut will be heard over New England on 2 meters 145.800. The contact will also be live streamed to https://vimeo.com/event/3761617
Fred Kemmerer, AB1OC, is the ARISS Mentor for this contact. More information about the contact can be found in the press release below. If you are listening to the astronaut over the air, you can follow along with the students’ questions below.
ARISS Contact is Scheduled with Students at Covenant Christian Academy, West Peabody, Massachusetts, USA
October 10, 2023—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and students at the Covenant Christian Academy in West Peabody, MA. ARISS conducts 60-80 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.
Covenant Christian Academy (CCA) is Christian, classical, private school which serves over 430 students Pre-K through12th grade. In preparation for this ARISS contact CCA has integrated space-themed aspects to their STEM program and STEM related activities. The physics and chemistry students hosted a “Space Week” where they put together interactive displays on everything from the Physics of Black Holes, Doppler Shift, Life on the ISS and the Chemistry of Astronaut Cuisine. STEM-related activities are also taking place in their newly instituted Rocketry Club, Women in STEM Club, and a robotics Lab. Amateur radio activities, such as building and operating ham radios during after- school programs, are being provided by ham members of local amateur radio clubs.
This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of Astronaut Loral O’Hara, amateur radio call sign KI5TOM. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the relay ground station.
The amateur radio ground station for this contact is in West Peabody, MA. Amateur radio operators using call sign N1DQF, will operate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection.
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for October 13, 2023 at 9:47:58 am EDT (MA) (13:47:58 UTC, 8:47 am CDT, 7:47 am MDT, 6:47 am PDT).
The public is invited to watch the live stream at: https://vimeo.com/event/3761617
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As time allows, students will ask these questions:
1. What happens with all the trash on the ISS?
2. What is the best part and worst part about living in space?
3. Is the wifi and internet connection better in space?
4. How do you get your supplies delivered to the space station?
5. Do you play games in space? If so, how are they different from the games you play on earth?
6. What is your favorite workout to do for two hours each day to keep your muscles in shape?
7. What has been one of your hardest or scariest moments on the ISS?
8. How do you train your bodies to fall asleep on the ISS since your circadian rhythm can’t be regulated to the earth’s rotation on its axis?
9. Does time feel different on the ISS?
10. Is there any research that you are currently involved in? If so, how does it benefit the earth?
11. What is your favorite meal or snack to eat in outer space?
12. What types of jobs do you do while on the International Space Station?
13. How do you fix the solar panels on the space station?
14. Do you have any animals on the ISS right now? What are they?
15. What happens when someone gets sick on board the ISS?
16. When you come back to earth from space, do you feel the pressure of gravity, and if so, how much does this affect you?
17. What was the most challenging part of your training that prepared you to work on the International Space Station?
18. What’s the most amazing thing you have seen from space?
19. Has living on the ISS changed any of your perspectives on life?
20. Is all the training, preparation, and hardship you endure to be an astronaut on the ISS worth it?Thank you for the heads up Anita! I listened to the QSO and even managed to record it for my brother (who is also a ham). What a great experience this had to be for the students! I’ve not heard the crew on the radio before, and it was very cool even for me! The signal was amazingly strong! I copied them pretty much from horizon to horizon, which is a feat from my little station!
Thanks again!
73,
– Matt
Matt,
Glad you enjoyed the contact! I watched the livestream since I was on a call for work at the same time and it was a great contact. The students were able to ask all 20 questions, and then the teacher asked the question about whether she was a Red Sox fan and then the Ham who was hosting the contact asked her another question.
It is easy to listen on the air and amazing to hear an astronaut coming in on your own station. I remember a couple of years ago, Fred was a mentor for a contact in New Jersey and I was driving home from an appointment in the F150 when the contact happened. I heard the astronaut loud and clear – even a little past when they heard him in NJ since our LOS was a few seconds later.
73,
Anita, AB1QB
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