IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY
Students at Kullik Ilihakvik and Kiilinik High School in Cambridge Bay will join a tiny minority, of an estimated 7.4 billion earthlings, this week when they chat with an astronaut on the International Space Station as he orbits around the Earth in outer space. The space contact is planned for April 6.
American astronaut Jeff Williams is expected to answer 15 questions from Kullik Ilihakvik and Kiilinik High School students from on board the International Space Station when Cambridge Bay makes space contact April 6. - photo courtesy of NASA |
"This is a community space contact - all are invited," said Ron Ralph, the Northern organizer for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), which sets up conversations from space for students around the world.
ARISS is a collection of amateur radio organizations and space agencies in Canada, the U.S.A., Russia, Japan and Europe who provide the equipment and operational support to enable direct communication between the crew on the space station and students via amateur radio.
"It's a pretty big deal for the students," said Ralph.
American astronaut Jeff Williams is expected to answer 15 questions students prepared in advance, which have already been approved by NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, from on board the space station, the world's only orbiting laboratory. This trip began for Williams in mid-March - it is his fourth space flight and this is his third long-duration stay on the station.
"The questions are sent up to the space station so the astronaut knows who he's talking to," said Ralph, adding the students also had to submit a little story about their community.
"They picked students from both schools to talk to the astronaut. Believe me, the kids, when they get involved, they just can't believe they're talking to real live astronauts on the space station."
High school principal Roman Mahnic is already an old hand at space contact. He was principal of a school in Inuvik when the program was offered there.
"When Ron said we had a chance to have them come here, it was a no-brainer for me to say, 'Oh yes. Let's do it,'" said Mahnic.
Ralph will head to Cambridge Bay a couple of days before the contact, but Mahnic remembers Ralph's first visit to the school.
"He went around to the classes and he got the students all excited. He got them thinking about space ... outer space. The students were so attentive to him. Their eyes were just getting bigger and bigger," said Mahnic.
"I had talked to the students already a long time ago about the opportunity and I think they were just, 'Whatever. It's not a big deal.' But when he came in, he really got them excited. It really just opened up their imagination."
If was after Ralph's first visit that students developed questions. At the high school, about 60 questions were submitted, although only 15 would be chosen between both schools. Ralph's two days prior to the contact will be spent much the same way - preparing them for the opportunity of a lifetime.
"I'll be showing the students all about the space program. And I have a whole bunch of stuff from Chris Hadfield, the famous Canadian astronaut. He's heavily involved in this program," said Ralph.
"I have a whole bunch of stuff that he's demonstrated on the space station. What happens if you cry, how do you brush your teeth, how do you eat. I show all that to the students. Plus, I also have a tour of the space station - an actual tour of the space station by the astronauts and they're floating around."
After two days of preparing the students, the rest of the team arrives to set up the big screens.
"We also have a $10,000 robot. We demonstrate the robot. It's pretty entertaining for the kids," said Ralph.
Air Inuit recently purchased the robot, named Jack.
"We have only used him once and have had him only a short time. The students and teachers just loved him in Umiujaq and they all wanted one until I told the teachers the price. Thank God for Air Inuit purchasing him for the space contact program. We have permission to use him anywhere in Canada."
All the students will receive T-shirts with NASA logos and a gift courtesy of Hadfield.
Other educational treats include learning about the Mars mobile that was launched two years ago.
"It's on Mars as we speak, taking soil samples to see if life was ever there, to find out if there was ever water there. Water is one of the building blocks of life and didn't they find ice up there? And I don't know how they do it, but around 400 miles below the surface, under all the ice and permafrost, there's an ocean down there larger and deeper than any ocean on the Earth," Ralph said.
Students will learn about the Moon rover, also launched two years ago, as well as the Hubble space telescope, which has discovered "billions upon billions upon billions of stars we didn't know existed."
"They've also discovered millions and millions of planets, just like the planet Earth. So, there's gotta be life out there somewhere."
Ralph also mentions the space station will be obsolete in the next 15 to 20 years when a lunar moon village is built.
"It will all be done with 3-D printers and the material they're going to use is moon dust. We have simulation pictures of that," he said.
Mahnic says the students now realize to make contact with the space station is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"And they'll be going live. That's the really cool thing. You're live. As you're speaking, your voice is being transmitted into space and the astronauts voice is being transmitted back through space," he said.
Ralph's special connection to the North comes from his 37-year career as a firefighter with the Ottawa Fire Department. On his days off, he conducted safety training for First Air.
"I got involved with the space program through the federal government, because the minister of defence at the time is a very good friend of mine. He got me involved in this in the year 2000. We've been doing space contacts across the Arctic," said Ralph.
In Nunavut, previous contacts have taken place in Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit.
"This is a multimillion-dollar educational outreach program put out by the Canadian Space Agency and NASA and it costs nothing for the schools," said Ralph.
Northern sponsors include the Canadian Space Agency, NASA, Makivik Corporation, ARISS, First Air and Air Inuit.
Fact file
students
prepare
Questions
Kiana: Can you change the orbit and speed of the Space Station? OVER
Lola: What is your favourite part of being an astronaut? OVER
Shayanne: Is the passage of time on Space Station different than Earth? OVER
Avi: What time zone do you follow on Space Station and why? OVER
Nathan: What do you do in your spare time, do you have the
Internet? OVER
