July 22, 2026—Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) has received schedule confirmation for an ARISS radio contact between an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and staff at the Marshall Space Flight Center located in Huntsville, AL.  ARISS conducts 60-100 of these special amateur radio contacts each year between students around the globe and crew members with ham radio licenses aboard the ISS.

The Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center is one of the five main control centers that supports operations aboard the ISS. Payload specialists work with payload developers, scientists and crew members to help develop procedures and products in the payloads and the eventual execution of these payloads aboard the ISS.

This ISS Ham Radio contact is dedicated to all who have supported the POIC’s ISS space flight operations during the last 25 years.

This will be a telebridge Contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of astronaut Chris Williams, amateur radio call sign KJ5GEW. The downlink frequency for this contact is 145.800 MHz and may be heard by listeners that are within the ISS-footprint that also encompasses the telebridge station.

The ARISS amateur radio ground station (telebridge station) for this contact is in Aartselaar, Belgium. The amateur radio volunteer team at the ground station will use the call sign ON4ISS, to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for July 24, 2026 at 12:56:30 pm CDT (Huntsville, AL) (17:56:30 UTC, 1:56 pm EDT, 11:56 am MDT, 10:56 am PDT).

_______________________________

As time allows, students will ask these questions:

1. As a TCO, we get to schedule your daily CEO targets. If you could orbit any other celestial body to take up-close photos, what would it be and why?
2. If you have to choose (and you do), who is the best movie composer of all time, Hanz Zimmer or John Williams?
3. What is an unexpected skill that you obtained that has greatly helped you in space?
4. If you could create a payload for ISS, what kind of experiment would you design, and what would you investigate?
5. The PRO team is known for enjoying baked beans mixed with banana pudding.  What is the most creative food combo you’ve concocted onboard ISS?
6. When you end up finding a missing item in the original location, do you consider not telling us, so we stay humble?
7. Do you have any creative ways to have fun on station?
8. If you could take a souvenir from Station home with you what would it be and why?
9. If crew is Chris Williams: How is your home automation holding up while you have been away and what is your favorite new automation?
10. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen float around the cabin?
11. What is your favorite fictional vehicle?
12. We often hear about the view, but we rarely talk about sensory deprivation. What is the one specific, mundane sound or smell from Earth that you miss the most?
13. What’s your favorite TV show to binge?
14. If you were able to watch the Winter Olympics this year, what was your favorite event to watch?
15. If you could play a non-fictional version of an astronaut from a TV show, book, or movie, who would it be?
16. Which of your thoughts/opinions have been most impacted by conducting science on the ISS and why?