NASA is now accepting proposals from US schools, museums, science centers and community youth organizations to host an Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact between July 15, 2012 and January 15, 2013. To maximize these radio contact opportunities, NASA is looking for organizations that will draw large numbers of participants and integrate the contact into a well-developed education plan. Proposals are due January 30, 2012.

Using Amateur Radio, students can ask astronauts questions about life in space and other space-related topics. Students fully engage in the ARISS contact by helping set up an Amateur Radio ground station at the school and then using that station to talk directly with a crewmember on the International Space Station for approximately 10 minutes. ARISS has a network of mentors to help obtain the technology required to host this exciting opportunity for students.

Interested parties should contact NASA’s Teaching From Space office via e-mail to obtain complete information including how the technology works, what is expected of the host organization and the proposal/application form. You can find more information here.

Online Information Sessions

In order to help you prepare your proposal, the Teaching From Space office will be offering informational sessions. These sessions last about 60 minutes and are designed to provide more information regarding US ARISS contacts and the proposal process, as well as provide an avenue for interested organizations to ask questions. Attending an online informational session is not required, but it is strongly encouraged.

The dates and times of the online informational sessions are listed below. If you are interested in attending or have questions regarding the proposal process, please send an e-mail, indicating which session you would like to attend. You will need access to the Internet and a telephone line to connect to a session.

• Session 1: Monday, November 21, 2011; 3 PM CST (2100 UTC)
• Session 2: Wednesday, December 7, 2011; 12 PM CST (1800 UTC)
• Session 3: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 9 AM CST (1400 UTC)
• Session 4: Wednesday, January 11, 2012; 3 PM CST (2100 UTC)