An educational radio contact is planned with Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo”, Empoli, Italy, direct via IQ5EM.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS and the scheduled crewmember is Koichi Wakata KI5TMN. Contact is go for: Thursday 23-02-2023, 09:32:56 UTC, 60 deg . downlink signals from ISS will be audible above parts of Europe on 145.800 MHz narrowband FM ; the conversation will be in English. RX only! Credit: AMSAT.
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Proposed questions generated by the Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore “Il Pontormo” students:
1. What are your thoughts and feelings before liftoff?
2. On the ISS is freedom the prevailing feeling for you since you are flying kilometers away from the Earth, or do you feel locked up, considering the limited space you live in?
3. Which experiences of those you live on the ISS excite you the most and which ones did you not expect to live?
4. How does the perception of time and space change from staying on Earth and flying on the ISS?
5. How do political relations and conflicts among countries on the Earth affect the relationship among astronauts on the ISS?
6. Does living in microgravity affect your sleep-wake mechanism and how do your dreams change when you are in Space?
7. Has there ever been a significant emergency since you arrived on the ISS? If so, how did you sort it out?
8. Are there any aspects of your training which have turned out to be useful in your everyday life and are there any habits you have taken up in Space that you maintain after you get back to the Earth?
9. A few years ago, the ISS was proposed for the Nobel Peace Prize. Are there any risks that the current collaboration among countries may turn into competition once we have learnt how to exploit the resources of Space and what can we do about it?
10. How do you get used to terrestrial gravity when you get back to the Earth?
11. What are the main challenges you daily overcome during your stay on the Space Station?
12. What are the aims of the scientific research you conduct on the ISS? Do you think that limits should be placed on human research in Space?
13. Excluding ground control, who are you in touch with on Earth and how do you maintain this contact?
14. What leads you to explore and study Space? Is it irrepressible curiosity, thirst for knowledge or the will of being the first to make new discoveries?
15. How did your passion for exploring Space come about and what suggestions would you give to a teenager eager to become an astronaut?