Tim Peake KG5BVI preparing for his spacewalk in January
After the original competition to find schools that could demonstrate a commitment to Space, STEM and outreach was launched by ARISS in the UK and the UK Space Agency, we announced that ten schools had been shortlisted but that not all of those school would have an opportunity to talk to Tim Peake on the ISS. In fact Tim himself announced at the UK Space Conference in July 2015 that there would be at least three such contacts and that he was hopeful of more.
The ARISS UK team, working with the ARISS International community, are now pleased to announce that after a number of discussions, all ten schools selected for the UK shortlist have now been scheduled. The proposed scheduled is as follows:-
Feb 11 @1811UTC : Royal Masonic School for Girls, Rickmansworth
Feb 15 – Feb 21 : Oasis Academy Brightstowe, Bristol
Feb 22 – Feb 28 : Central Norwich Schools, Norwich
Feb 29 – Mar 06 : Powys Combined Schools, Powys, Wales
Apr 18 – Apr 24 : St Richards Catholic College, Bexhill on Sea
Apr 18 – Apr 24 : Wellesley House Schools, Broadstairs, Kent
Apr 25 – May 01 : The Derby High School, Bury Lancashire
May 02 – May 08 : Ashfield Primary School, Otley, West Yorkshire
May 09 – May 15 : The Kings School, Ottery St Mary, Devon
These dates correspond to the predicted orbits of the International Space Station visible during the school day (typically 08:00 – 18:00hrs) and when it is orbiting over the UK. A significant amount of planning remains to be carried out to turn these proposals into confirmed events – Tim’s on-orbit work schedule also has to be such that he is able to carry out the contact at the same time as the ISS is orbiting over the UK and the schools are available to make the call. Not a simple task!
We will update the ARISS Principia site with more information as it becomes available so make sure you keep checking there, on Twitter (@m0xtd) or on the UK Space Agency website.
In the meantime, make sure you join us for the next ARISS Contact at the Royal Masonic School for Girls on Feb 11th at 1811 UTC.
73s
Ciaran – M0XTD
ARISS Operations Lead in the UK
July 2014 – School shortlist announced http://amsat-uk.org/2015/07/14/school-shortlist-tim-peake-iss/
Video of Tim Peake ham radio contact with Sandringham School on January 8, 2016
http://amsat-uk.org/2016/01/09/video-tim-peake-sandringham/
What is Amateur Radio? http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio
Find an amateur radio training course near you https://thersgb.org/services/coursefinder/
