Students from 6 Dublin primary Schools participating in TU Dublin’s STEM: Try Five project will talk live with astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli as she orbits over Europe in the International Space Station. The contact will be done via Amateur Radio at 14:11 Irish Time on the 6th of October 2023. This activity is part of the ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) Program, which promotes links Schools and radio amateurs around the world with ISS astronauts to promote STEM with an emphasis on amateur radio.
The 12 students have been selected among the more than 250 pupils participating on the STEM Try Five project (SFI funded), which provides DEIS primary school pupils with 5 hands-on STEM workshops under an overarching theme of space exploration.
Fatma, Taha, Bhavesh, Nadine H. Nadine B, Nathanael, Ethan, Nathan, Anastasia, Zofia, Shayleigh and Fletcher will have the responsibility of representing TU Dublin and their Schools as they ask up to 20 questions (selected from a pool of more than 250) from astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli while their classmates watch them via livestream from their classes in St. Mary’s Primary, St. Gabriel’s NS, Stanhope Street Primary, St. Paul CBS, Gardiner Street and Sacred Heart Killinarden.
This direct radio contact will be achieved using a temporary ground station set up on the roof of TU Dublin Central Quad consisting of a IC-7900 connected to a tracking antenna (7-element X-yagi) that will follow the ISS until it disappears from the sky. The station will use the very special call sign EI1ISS, that has been requested just for the occasion.
Members from IRTS, North Dublin radio and South Dublin Radio will be supporting the Amateur Radio contact with their equipment and expertise. Robbie Phelan (EI2IP), Seamus McCague (EI8BP), Ana Cañizares (EI5IXB) are the core technical team coordinating this activity.
Staff from TU Dublin School of Media will be leading the streaming of the event, which can be watched LIVE using TU Dublin’s youtube channel:
What is ARISS?
ARISS is a joint venture by NASA, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) to facilitate communication via Amateur Radio between astronauts aboard the International Space Station and schools and communities around the world.
ARISS programs excite and motivate students in a one-of-a-kind presentation and exchange.
ARISS program goals are:
•Inspiring an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects and in STEM careers among young people.
•Providing an educational opportunity for students, teachers, and the general public for learning about wireless technology and radio science through Amateur Radio.
•Providing an educational opportunity for students, teachers, and the general public for learning about space exploration, space technologies and satellite communications.
What is Amateur Radio?
Amateur, or “Ham,” Radio, is a popular service and hobby in which federally licensed participants operate communications equipment. There are over 700,000 licensed amateurs and nearly 2,300 ARRL-affiliated Amateur Radio clubs in the United States. Hams talk to each other across town, around the world, and even into space without the need for normal communications infrastructure, such as cell phone networks or the Internet. Amateur Radio is regularly used during natural disasters to help local emergency and served agencies (such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and state and local governments) respond when normal communications methods are disrupted. The Amateur Radio community is a great source of electronics experimentation, public service, and fun.
More information on the ARISS program can be found at www.ariss.org.
More information on Amateur Radio can be found at www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.
More information on Irish Amateur Radio Clubs can be found at https://www.irts.ie/cgi/affiliat.cgi
