Hampton, Dec. 26 - Students from Granby High and Mary Calcutt Elementary schools in Norfolk will travel to the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton on Saturday, December 28, to listen for Astronaut John Blaha aboard the Russian Space Station Mir, and then to try to contact him via Amateur Radio, Blaha, holds Amateur Radio license KC5TZQ, attended Mary Calcutt Elementary and graduated from Granby. Blaha returns to earth shortly after upcoming Space Shuttle mission STS-81 docks with Mir in mid-January.
These students hope to learn about aerospace activities by asking Blaha a number of questions when he's off duty, while orbiting in space. This student activity is part of educational programs sponsored by the US Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX), the US Mir Amateur Radio Experiment (MIREX), the Russian Mir Amateur Radio Experiment (MAREX), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Astronaut Blaha hopes to talk with students in 9 specially-selected schools in the US and South Africa before returning to earth.
"This isn't a video game," says Teacher-Coordinator Joe Quirion. "This is the real thing. Talking directly with astronauts in space is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these youths."
Mr. Quirion says that by tracking the Russian Mir Space Station, students learn real-life science and mathematics. When students make radio contact, lessons in electronics and communications suddenly make sense. But most important, many students are inspired to 'reach for the stars'. Teachers around the country report that this program creates interest and enthusiasm on the part of students. It is easy to speculate that the next generation of astronauts, engineers, and scientists for the nation are among the students who have been involved in this program!
Earlier Astronaut Blaha had requested an opportunity to talk with students currently attending the two schools. Local arrangements were made for this contact through the VASC Amateur Radio Group, a consortium of 11 local Amateur Radio clubs which operates a major Amateur Radio exhibit at the Virginia Air and Space Center (VASC). This exhibit focuses on a fully automated, digital Amateur Radio satellite station, whose call-sign is KE4ZXW. Station control operators will be assisting the students with this radio contact, which is planned for approximately 11 AM Saturday Dec. 28th, with 10 AM Sunday Dec. 29th as the backup schedule.