December 3: Hino Elementary School in Suzaka, Japan hosted an ARISS radio contact with Raja Chari. He answered all 15 of the students’ questions. The school, along with 20 other Japanese schools (ranging from elementary through senior high), participated in the Canna Project Peace Space Mission; some of those schools’ students were involved also in ARISS activities. The audience count was 17, while the online count was 354. Reporters came from a TV station and 3 newspapers. The YouTube video of the ARISS contact shows young ladies waving fans displaying artwork of their Canna Project logo; the video URL is (begin watching at 4 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXimIESrVBk. Seeds from the Canna plant had been launched to the ISS and then returned for students to grow and monitor. One of the school’s goals is to inspire students’ interest and curiosity in space and the Canna Amateur Radio Club supported the school.
December 6: ARISS has been awarded the Amateur Radio Newsline International Newsmaker of the Year Award for 2021. The honor is for individuals and groups who have represented the ham radio service in the “best possible ways during the year.” The award states, “Newsline recognizes ARISS in 2021 for opening the wonders of the International Space Station to children around the world through amateur radio through ‘linkups’ with astronauts and cosmonauts for more than 20 years.”
December 9: A school for young ladies, the Notre Dame Jogakuin Junior and Senior High School in Kyoto, Japan, hosted an interview with Raja Chari during an ARISS contact. He answered 13 of the young ladies’ questions. The event was live streamed at https://youtu.be/9q7szmwEz4o and starts with a recording of school activities; the portion on the ARISS contact begins at 35 minutes. A few days later, another 1,214 people watched the YouTube. The school’s programs leading up to this contact incorporated studies of the ISS, space exploration, earth sciences, and radio. Some activities included experiments in electronics related to space and learning about the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. To publicize the ARISS contact to other youth, students provided illustrations for a booth at the Tachibana school festival.
December 7: WRDW-TV in Augusta, GA posted an article announcing the upcoming ARISS contact with Savannah River Academy in Grovetown, GA. The write-up mentions students engaging in a special curriculum over several months to prepare them for the contact, studying basic electronics, radio communications, and code along with lessons on space.
October 30: Astronaut Dan Tani came to ARISS educator Melissa Pore’s Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, VA to talk about space. The presentation was part of Pore’s initiative that was accepted for the school’s Global Studies program, which features the international cooperation necessary for space and ARISS to be a successful venture.
November 19: NASA Space Update ran an item about the South Yarra Primary School ARISS contact. The Australian school’s students had their contact on November 9.
Dec 4 & 7: The ARISS-Russia team supported ARISS radio contacts for Aznakaev students in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia and for undergrads at South West State University, Kursk, Russia. More details will be provided soon.
November 29: The Tank Radio online talk show host invited ARRL Division Director (New York and New Jersey) Ria Jiaram to talk about ARISS. She described for 113 viewers the upcoming ARISS contact for Sussex County (NJ) Charter School for Technology. She highlighted many of the students’ STEM activities and has been mentoring the students in aspects of wireless radio in preparation for their contact.
ARISS Upcoming Events
Dec 16 Technisches Bildungszentrum Mitte & Carl Prueter Oberschule, Germany, ARISS-Europe team