Participants at two international youth gatherings will have opportunities this week to speak via Amateur Radio with a member of the International Space Station crew.

On Tuesday, July 28, attendees at the United Space School in Seabrook, Texas, are scheduled to speak with astronaut Kimiya Yui, KG5BPH. The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact between NA1SS and W6SRJ in California will get under way at about 1252 UTC. Audio from W6SRJ will be relayed to Texas via telebridge. This will be the inaugural ARISS contact for Yui, who just arrived on station, and the 145.80 MHz downlink signal should be audible over much of the US West Coast during the pass.

The United Space School is an educational program hosted by the Foundation for International Space Education (FISE). For 2 weeks each summer, FISE invites up to 50 students from about 2 dozen different countries to the University of Houston-Clear Lake to introduce them to aspects of working in the space sciences. During their stay, the students work in teams to assemble a mock manned mission to Mars, utilizing knowledge gained from guest lecturers and interactive field trips.

On Friday, July 31, Scouts attending the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in Japan are scheduled to speak via Amateur Radio with astronaut Kjell Lindgren, KO5MOS (“cosmos”), on the ISS. This will mark the first ARISS contact from space by Lindgren, who arrived on the ISS earlier this month on the ISS with Yui and cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, RN3DX.

Those taking part in the event from the Jamboree are between 14 and 17 years old. The direct Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact will take place on 2 meters between NA1SS on station and 8N23WSJ at the Nippon Boy Scout Amateur Radio Club in Bunkyo-ku, Japan. The approximately 10 minute event is set to start at approximately 1126 UTC. It’s expected the contact will be conducted in English.

More than 30,000 Scouts and leaders from 161 countries around the world have converged on Kirara-hama, Yamaguchi, Japan, for the Jamboree. The theme of the 23rd World Scout Jamboree is “WA: A Spirit of Unity.” The Kanji character WA connotes a variety of meanings, such as unity, harmony, cooperation, friendship, and peace.

Scouts attending the 23rd World Scout Jamboree will be able to enjoy a variety of activities during their free time, including an Amateur Radio workshop.