Santa Barbara Public Library has been selected by the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) team to host an amateur radio contact with International Space Station (ISS) crew members.
The unique experience, made possible by the Amateur Radio community in cooperation with NASA, will use ARISS equipment on the International Space Station (ISS).
Contact with the ISS from the Central Library, 40 E. Anapamu St., is prelimarily scheuled for July 1-3. Radio contact will be coordinated by SBPL youth services staff, volunteers with the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club, and ARISS mentors.
Considering orbital constraints and ISS crew schedules, the exact date and time of the radio contact will not be confirmed by NASA until 7-10 days ahead of the contact week.
The radio contact will be about 10 minutes long due to the radio communication window permitted by the logistics of orbital passes of the ISS.
The event will be open to the community with hands-on learning activities preceding or immediately following the contact.
Community members are invited to submit questions to ask the astronauts on board the ISS during the contact. Questions may be submitted in person at the library, or on a form at bit.ly/AskaAstronaut.
Library staff and ARISS volunteers will vet the questions, and 12-20 students, ages 7-14, will be selected to pose questions to an astronaut.
For those interested in participating, details are on the form, or contact youth services librarian Holly Broman, HBroman@SantaBarbaraCA.gov or 805-564-5602.
“When the library team began brainstorming what programs they wanted to offer the community for summer 2019, we were inspired by the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing,” said library director Jessica Cadiente.
“Space exploration captivates the imagination of all ages, and for children, can inspire interest in careers in technology, engineering, or scientific disciplines,” she said.
“The ARISS program is a wonderful opportunity and complements our ongoing slate of educational activities for youth that focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and math,” she said.
The ARISS contact is part of Santa Barbara Public Library’s 2019 Summer Reading and Learning Program, which includes events and educational opportunities related to space exploration, science and technology such as:
» What is Amateur Radio? — 6:30 p.m. Mondays, June 10 and July 8, in the Faulkner Gallery, Central Library.
A talk with members of the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club about modern amateur radio, common misconceptions, digital projects, and how to get involved.
» NASA’s Journey to Mars with Terry Himes of the Jet Propulsion Lab — 7 p.m. Monday, June 24, Faulkner Gallery, Central Library.
NASA Engineer Terry Himes will discuss the current InSight mission and other recent and future Mars missions, including Curiosity, Mars 2020 + Helicopter, Mars Sample Return and beyond.
» Summer Space Camp for ages 9-12 — 2-4 p.m. July 22-25, Faulkner Gallery, Central Library.
Kids will complete astronaut training, conduct experiments like those on the ISS, experience space travel through virtual reality worlds, and learn about astronomy. Registration required, and participants must attend all four sessions.
» Hummingbird Robotics Camp for ages 10-14 — 3-5 p.m. June 24-27, in the Central Library’s tech lab.
Kids will design, build and program using their own space rover using 3-D printing and robotics kits. Registration required, and participants must attend all four sessions. Some previous coding background recommended.
For information on other opportunities to learn about amateur radio and space at Santa Barbara Public Library locations, see the full events calendar at SBPLibrary.org/summer.
For more about Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, visit www.ariss.org. To learn about local amateur radio with the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club, go to https://www.sbarc.org/.
All library programs are free and open to the public.
— Molly Wetta for city of Santa Barbara.