An educational radio contact is planned with Sussex County Charter School for Technology, Sparta, NJ, direct via KD2YAQ.

The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS and the scheduled crewmember is Mark Vande Hei KG5GNP.

Contact is go for: Wednesady 23 Feb 2022, 15:31:11 UTC, 74 deg.; downlink signals from ISS will be audible over interested areas on 145.800 MHz FM; the conversation will be in English. RX only! (Credit: AMSAT.)

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Proposed questions generated by the Sussex County Charter School for Technology students:

1. Do you have any telescopes on the ISS and, if so, how far can they see?

2. In the event of space debris, asteroids, or solar flares collisions, what are the safety protocols or systems to ensure the astronaut’s/cosmonaut’s safety in situations like that?

3. How do you exercise on the space station if there’s no gravity?

4. What science experiments are you working on that will have an impact on the future?

5. How do you feel about private space companies trying to make space travel open to civilians?

6. What is the best space food you’ve eaten, and do you notice any improvement in the quality of the food since the Deep Space food challenge started?

7. How often do you need to communicate with the Earth (Mission control)?

8. What would you do if the communication with Mission Control broke down and you couldn’t communicate with Earth?

9. Being that you see 16 sunrises and sunsets in each day, how do you regulate your sleep schedule?

10. What steps are taken on the ISS to shield you from the pathway of the Sun’s radiation?

11. How do astronauts control the robotic arm on the outside of the space station? Do you use a computer program or use a joystick like on a game controller?

12. Who put the first pieces of the International Space Station together and will any of it be reused after the mission ends?

13. How do astronauts maintain good hygiene on the ISS if there are no showers?

14. What happens if an astronaut gets a serious virus or other illness while they are on the ISS?

15. What is your least favorite chore or dangerous task that you do in space?

16. What are the legal parameters followed in regards to the fly zones? If something should go wrong, while over a country other than the U.S., what fly zone rules are followed for legal purposes?

17. How did your parents react when you arrived at the space station or when you left them?

18. Considering the limited amount of your own items you can bring along with you from Earth, can you share with us one of the items you brought?

19. What are the negative physical impacts on your body of being in space and does it go back to normal when you’re back on Earth?

20. Would you let your own young kids, nieces, or nephews go to space if young people were given an opportunity to do so?

21. If you could change one thing about space travel what would that be?