Talk To Astronauts
Experience the excitement of talking through Amateur Radio directly with crew members on the International Space Station. “The ARISS program was created and is managed by an international consortium of amateur radio organizations and space agencies including NASA in the USA, Rosaviakosmos in Russia, Canadian Space Agency (CSA) in Canada, Japan Aeronautics Exploration Space Agency (JAXA) in Japan and European Space Agency (ESA) in Europe.”
“The ARISS Program encourages a teacher or even just an interested large group of students to host an Amateur Radio contact with a crew member on board the ISS. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, ARISS is looking for organizations or groups that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. These radio contacts are approximately 10 minutes in length and allow students to interact with the astronauts through a question-and-answer session.”
Amateur Radio organizations around the world with the support of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe present educational organizations with this opportunity. The ham radio organizations’ volunteer efforts provide the equipment and operational support to enable communication between crew on the ISS and students around the world using Amateur Radio.
How do I get started? Just go the ARI$$ website and persuade a teacher to enroll (or a parent to help organize a large group of kids to participate.
How much time will this take? This is a medium time commitment. You must pitch this opportunity to your teacher and then get them to facilitate. You will also need access to Amateur Radio equipment and may need to fund raise or lobby for PTA funds to cover the cost
How do I expand this narrative arc? If astronomy or youth radio is in your narrative arc, consider building on this interest with one of the following:
Become a member of a Youth Amateur Ham Radio organization.
If you are ready for a bigger time commitment, see our post on Youth Radio opportunities.
HOT TIP: The most impressive part of this project will be your ability to bring this program to your school or organize a large group of students to participate. So don’t shy away from the need to organize here. For maximum wow effect, complement this project with a local impact project or capstone project in these interest areas.