ARISS Contact is Scheduled for Students in France at Ecole Louis Armand, Carquefou, Institut Universitaire de Technologie, Carquefou, and Collège Les Sables D’Or, Thouare Sur Loire
October 10, 2021—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact with astronauts. ARISS is the group that puts together special amateur radio contacts between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses on the International Space Station (ISS).
This will be a direct contact via amateur radio between students in France at the Ecole Louis Armand, Institut Universitaire de Technologie (IUT), and Collège Les Sables D’Or and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, amateur radio call sign KG5FYG. Students will take turns asking their questions. Appropriate local Covid-19 protocols are adhered to as applicable for each ARISS contact. 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 radio relay ground station.
Amateur radio operators in Carquefou using the F5KEQ/P call sign will operate the ham radio ground station for this contact.
The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for October 13, 2021 at 3:39 pm CEST (Carquefou, France), (13:39 UTC, 9:39 am EDT, 8:39 am CDT, 7:39 am MDT and 6:39 am PDT).
Institut Universitaire de Technologie (IUT) is a third level educational establishment, a branch of Nantes University, and offers diplomas in seven industrial specialties to about 2,000 students. The IUT maintains close links with secondary level schools who are partners for events that promote science and technology. IUT will host this ARISS contact to bring together students from Collège Les Sables D’Or (13 year-olds), and Louis Armand (9 year-olds) as well students from IUT. About 300 students are expected to be present during the radio contact. Members of the Association des Radioamateurs de Loire Atlantique (ARALA) will be supporting the school for this radio contact. ARALA has promoted amateur radio activity in each school by offering demonstrations and presentations that introduce students to the wide range of interests in amateur radio. Some of these radio activities included: satellite demonstrations via QO-100, radio directional finding exercises, yagi-building classes, and Morse code demonstrations.
The public is invited to watch the live stream at: - YouTube
As time allows, students will ask these questions (Translated from French):
- How did you feel when you found out that you would be the ISS Commander?
- Can we alter the martian atmosphere to make it better for human life?
- Does the saxophone sound the same as on Earth?
- If we couldn’t live on the Earth anymore, could a part of human beings live in a spaceship?
- Are the harmful effects on the body more powerful when one returns to space several times?
- What are the solutions to handle food and water for a long journey in space without being supplied with food regularly?
- Where do you touch down on Earth? Why at this specific location?
- Do space agencies plan to build eco-friendly rockets?
- Does playing sport in space have a different effect on the human body?
- Have you seen changes since your last space journey on the ISS Such as deforestation, urbanization or fires?
- What’s the funniest thing in space?
- Apart from the scientific interest, what is the point of going on another planet when we don’t respect ours?
- What are the responsibilities of the Alpha Head of Mission?
- Do you think that man will have made Mars livable before The Earth no longer is?
- How do you set the date and time for take-off?
- How do you feel when you are out on an extra-vehicular mission?
- Have you found any seed varieties that you can grow without soil in the ISS? If so, do they take the same time to grow as on Earth?
- What is your favorite place on the ISS?
- What’s the first thing you want to do when you return to Earth?
- Does food taste the same in space?
- Some astronauts see flashes when the close their eyes. Could you explain why?