February 5, 2025—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 students at the La Laupie School located in La Laupie, France. 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.

La Laupie School is in the Drome department, in the South of France, 10 kilometers from Montélimar, with 72 pupils, ages 3 to 10 years. With help from an Amateur Radio Association, students have participated in different projects, which included, among others, launching of a stratospheric balloon in 2017 and direct satellite communication with scientists from the Crozet Archipelago, on the Antarctic Continent, in February 2023.

This will be a direct contact via Amateur Radio allowing students to ask their questions of astronaut Don Pettit, amateur radio call sign KD5MDT. 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 relay ground station.

The amateur radio ground station for this contact is in La Laupie, France. Amateur radio operators using call sign F5KLF, will operate the ground station to establish and maintain the ISS connection.

The ARISS radio contact is scheduled for February 7, 2025 at 3:27 pm CET (France) (14:27 UTC, 9:27 am EST, 8:27 am CST, 7:27 am MST, 6:27 am PST).

______________________________

As time allows, students will ask these questions:
1. Do you work during the day and sleep at night?
2. What do you do when you are sick?
3. Do you have desks in the ISS?
4. How do you get supplies on the ISS?
5. How do you wash your laundry?
6. Is your spacesuit heavy?
7. What do you eat in the ISS?
8. Do you often go outside of the ISS?
9. Are the other astronauts considered your friends?
10. What is the temperature on the ISS?
11. How does it feel to live without gravity?
12. What sensations do you feel when you could walk again on Earth?
13. On what are you working at the moment? What kind of research?
14. What kind of sensations do you feel when you lift-off? When you land?
15. Do you have electricity on the ISS?
16. Do you have a cuddly toy or blanket to sleep with?
17. Do you have any hobbies? Games, books, television or music?
18. Does the food taste good on the ISS?
19. Is it difficult to sleep in space?