Even though Tim Peake, the first publicly funded British astronaut, was scheduled to make several ham radio contacts with schools in the UK, his very first school contact (or ARISS contact) was with students in the United States. This is my reception of that contact as heard in Raleigh, North Carolina.
He was talking to students at the Frederick W. Harnett Middle School in Blackstone, Massachusetts. They communicated with the ISS through a bridge ham radio station called a telebridge in Maryland.
This contact took place on January 5th, 2016 at 17:42:06 UTC. It was an 81 degree elevation pass for the K6DUE telebridge station in Maryland, and a 50 degree pass for me.
1. What is your favorite ISS food? Do you try food/meals from other astronaut teams?
2. Is the oxygen you breathe on the ISS recycled, made or brought up by supply missions?
3. Does the ISS make noise? What causes the noise and how do you deal with it?
4. On the ISS, do you eat more or less than you did on Earth? What types of fresh food do you get from the supply missions?
5. What fun activities do you do in space?
6. How do you wash your clothes? What is the room temperature on the ISS?
7. What was the strangest experience you've been through in space?
8. Do you get to bring one or more personal possessions to the ISS for your time in space? What did you bring?
9. What inspired you to be an astronaut? When did you realize this?
10. How is sleeping in microgravity different in space? Is it a restful sleep?
11. What are some dangers of being on the ISS?
12. Are you on Twitter? Would you be able to send out a tweet either saying hello to us, or saying that you spoke to FWHMS here in Blackstone Massachusetts?
13. What type of tools do you use on a spacewalk? Where do you keep them while working?
14. What jobs or tasks do you do daily on the ISS?
15. What is your favorite place to be on the ISS? Why?
16. How long does it take for an astronaut to regain their strength, muscle, and bone health once they are back here on Earth?
17. I am a seventh grader. I choose a virtual middle school course called Space Station Academy. In this course we learned about how scientists study Earth from space and how the human body reacts to space in microgravity. I want to know how your body reacted when you first went into space. Did you get a bad headward fluid shift (space headache) or have the feeling of nausea?
18. I know astronauts bones become more fragile the longer they are in space due to the lack gravity, so you exercise extensively each day to counteract that. Do your bones feel any weaker or different now that you have been up for a few weeks?
19. Will popcorn pop in space? Do you have popcorn as a snack on the ISS?
20. Is there anything from Earth that you miss because you can't get it or you can't accomplish it on the ISS?
21. How much free time do you get? What do you do with your free time?
22. T. Peake - How will your London marathon run on the ISS be different than running in London? How will it be similar?
23. Have you or your fellow astronauts ever been injured in space? What would happen if someone became seriously injured or became ill?
An International Space Station school contact has been planned with participants at Frederick W. Harnett Middle School, Blackstone, Massachusettson 05 Jan. The event is scheduled to begin at approximately 17:42 UTC. It is recommended that you start listening approximately 10 minutes before this time.The duration of the contact is approximately 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The contact will be a telebridge between NA1SS and K6DUE. The contact should be audible over the east coast of the U.S. Interested parties are invited to listen in on the 145.80 MHz downlink. The contact is expected to be conducted in English.
