Children Call Space

A group of Nelson school children are preparing to speak to astronauts living on the International Space Station. Victory Primary School successfully applied for the chance to speak with in-orbit astronauts through the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) programme. Twenty children have been selected to ask the astronauts questions during the call, which will be held before the whole school in the Victory Primary School hall. As the space station travels at 27,000kph, the maximum time it will be in range of the Nelson school is ten minutes. Victory School volunteer, Scott Smithline, who initiated the project says that although circumstances in space may delay the call he believes it is a great opportunity. “If one child is inspired by a few minutes of dialogue with an astronaut, this whole exercise will have been a brilliant success,” he says.