Thirteen schools and organizations will move into the second phase of the selection process to host the earthbound end of an Amateur Radio contact with an International Space Station (ISS) crew. Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is in the process of selecting schools and groups to host ARISS contacts during the first half of 2018. The 13 prospective hosts now will submit ground station equipment plans.

A primary goal of the ARISS program is to engage young people in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities, and to raise their awareness of space exploration, Amateur Radio, communications, and related career possibilities.

The ARISS team anticipates that NASA will be able to provide scheduling opportunities for the 13 US host organizations during the first 6 months of 2018. Plans to be submitted must demonstrate the ability of the school or organization to execute the ham radio contact. Once final equipment plans are approved by the ARISS technical team, finalists will be placed on the schedule according to their availability and flexibility to match the scheduling opportunities that NASA makes available.

The schools and organizations are:

ARISS is a cooperative venture of AMSAT, ARRL, and NASA in the US, and other international space agencies and Amateur Radio organizations around the world. With the help of experienced Amateur Radio club volunteers and coordination from ARISS, ISS crew members can speak directly with large-group audiences in a variety of public forums such as school assemblies, science centers and museums, Scouting events, and space camps, where students, teachers, parents, and communities can learn about space, space technologies, and Amateur Radio.