Students at Lilburn Elementary School will get to talk with astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) via Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) on February 7, with programming beginning at 9:00 a.m. This activity is part of the ARISS program, which promotes learning opportunities as part of the Science, Technology, Education, and Math (STEM) initiative. 

     The Lilburn Elementary community has been preparing for the ARISS event by integrating high-interest topics related to outer space, radio communications, and STEM career paths. “Our students are looking forward to this opportunity, which will give them a chance to witness STEM principles firsthand,” says Lilburn Elementary School Principal Mike Bender. “They are proud to be among the few schools selected to participate in this amazing and unique opportunity.”

     In STEM classes, Lilburn Elementary students have studied past, present, and future space missions and various ISS concepts. Additionally, students have made connections with those who work in space and others who support them. The goal is to build confidence in students so that they have the capability and accessibility to someday work in and around Space. Lilburn Elementary has held two STEM Nights, in which students, families, and the community were invited to participate in various activities and demonstrations related to space and communications. These activities include satellite tracking, morse code, and Amateur radio demonstrations. Families were able to send messages via HAM radio and telegraph technology. Students have also been learning how to track and monitor the location of the ISS using satellite tracking software. Members of the North Fulton Amateur Radio League (NFARL) and the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society (GARS) have supported the school’s curriculum and space engagement events.

     This encounter will be a direct contact via amateur radio with support from local amateur radio groups, including GARS and NFARL.  Students will take turns asking Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli of SpaceX Crew 7 questions aboard the ISS.  The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard by listeners within the ISS footprint that also encompasses the ground station, which will be located on Lilburn Elementary’s campus. 

 

For more information about the ARISS program, visit www.ariss.org.
For more information about Amateur Radio, visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.