December 5: Students at Orangeburg (SC) Christian Academy enjoyed an ARISS contact with Jasmin Moghbeli who answered 20 of their questions. 322 people on site watched the contact, the school livestreamed the event on Facebook for other students and staff, and in a few days’ time, 1,000 others had viewed the recording. WLTX-TV in Columbia posted an online piece with video; the writer noted: “With aerospace being a top industry in South Carolina, educators hope this opportunity will inspire some students to become future scientists.” The WLXT URL is https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/i-mean-whats-cooler-than-talking-to-an-astronaut-orangeburg-students-s-preparing-for-space-callouth-carolina/101-4639ca16-cf04-40a8-8023-ec95f3a349f6. The Times and Democrat ran three stories. A parent wrote the school and summarized, “Everyone deserves an A.”  Faculty had injected ISS research, space science, electronics, amateur radio communications, and astronomy into the curriculum. 

December 5: ARISS team members helped students in two Virginia towns to listen in on Moghbeli talking with Orangeburg youth (above blurb).  ARISS team member Will Marchant traveled to Winchester STARBASE Academy to demo his portable ham radio equipment to students listening to Jasmin talk from space. The academy, an after-school Department of Defense (DOD) STEM program, hosts area schools to engage students in inquiry-based, hands-on STEM. That day, an area school 5th grade teacher said Will caused her students to “intensely listen to how an astronaut can live and work on the space station.” STARBASE aims to be “the premier DOD youth outreach program for raising interest in learning and improving the knowledge and skills of our nation’s at-risk youth so that we may develop a highly educated and skilled American workforce who can meet the advance technological requirements of the Department of Defense.” The STARBASE director invited Will to come back whenever he can.  In Woodbridge, VA, ARISS educator Kathy Lamont had her Belmont Elementary School students manipulate her portable ham radio equipment to listen to Moghbeli and the Orangeburg youth. 

December 4: Two German schools, Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Schule in Eutin and Gymnasium im Loekamp in Marl worked together to share an ARISS contact with Andreas Mogensen. Students asked him 16 questions. Between both schools, 45 educators, 1,000 students, and 45 parents watched the action on site or via livestreaming. In 12 hours’ time 1,498 people had viewed the recording. Media covering the event consisted of reporters from area press, a regional radio station, and an internet broadcaster.  Both schools offered students a variety of science classesas preparation for the ARISS contact.

November 28: Primary School of Zipari Kos, in Zipari, Greece will host a December ARISS contact. Faculty reported having lead 500 students age 6 to 11 in lessons on astronomy and robots.  Students took part in amateur radio lessons and researched astronaut training. Teachers in all 20 school departments plan on activities for Space Week, scheduled for the week of the ARISS contact. Two publications featured the school in stories about the upcoming ARISS contact, the online Vimatisko.gr and the Greek City Times (https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/12/06/primary-school-in-kos-iss/).   

December 1:  ARISS thanks NASA SCaN for creating and running a set of social media posts on Facebook and X that tout the anniversary of 40 years of ham radio used on space vehicles.

December 7: The ISS National Lab wrote and posted a web story titled “ISS National Lab Highlights Scientific Research Conducted in 2023.”  ARISS was very honored that a segment of the story featured ARISS.

ARISS Upcoming Events

Dec 13: Youth in Obninsk, Kaluga Oblast, Russia—ARISS contact, ARISS-Russia Team
Dec 14: Primary School of Zipari Kos, Zipari, Greece—ARISS contact, ARISS-Europe Team
Feb 22-24, 2024: Human Spaceflight Amateur Radio: 40th Anniversary Celebration, KSC Center for Space Education, Titusville FL—ARISS conference & gala, ARISS-I Team