Beginning Teen Astronomy Campers communicated live with astronaut Chris Cassidy (KF5KDR) onboard the International Space Station as it orbited 250 miles above Australia. Our 10-minute question and answer session took place on Saturday, June 8 (2013) at 12:55 pm in the auditorium of the Department of Astronomy on the campus of The University of Arizona. The event was broadcast live to the entire Tohono O'odham Nation by KOHN Radio (91.9 MHz) with two former Astronomy Campers serving as technicians and announcers. This opportunity was provided by the international network of amateur radio volunteers ("hams") known as ARISS Program Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. Our contact session was facilitated by amateur radio operator Mr. Gene Chapline (K5YFL, Texas), Mr. Shane Lynd (VK4KHZ, ground station operator in Glenden, Queensland, Australia), and arranged by Ms. Trinesha Dixon (NASA point of contact).

The Campers submitted their twenty questions (see below) prior to arrival at Camp so the questions could be uploaded to the ISS in advance. Upon arrival in Tucson (June 5), we began preparing for the contact by practicing radio communication language, building crystal radios, designing and racing "Newton's Cars," learning about the physics of spaceflight and weightlessness, touring the Arizona Radio Observatory, and observing the night sky with telescopes and cameras. We also observed several nighttime passes of the ISS over our location at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Throughout the Camp we were inspired and challenged by numerous video clips from the ISS and the U.S. Manned Space Program, listed below.

After the event we toured the local facilities (the "Shack") of K7UAZ the University's Amateur Radio Club. Co-chair Mr. Steve Alexander (KD7SPY) graciously led our tour. We also toured the Mirror Lab to learn firsthand about manufacturing telescope mirrors as large as 8.4 meters in diameters for future 25 meter telescopes. Before beginning our two-hour trip back to Kitt Peak we had a refreshing drink at the Student Union and a Mexican dinner at Steward Observatory.

On June 10 (6 pm), we posed (30 minutes! with jokes by Austin) for the ISS's ISERV camera to take our picture at the summit of Kitt Peak. The ISERV Camera includes a HyperStar camera system designed by Starizona. A similar system on a Celestron 11-inch telescope was used at night by our Campers.

Press Summary
Overhead Questions from our Beginning Campers
Our Question and Answer Session (Vimeo)
Teleconference Operator voice recording (not yet linked)

Video Timeline:

• Overview of the Campers before the event
• B_Roll_2 (not uploaded yet)
• Don, Wayne, and Wyatt setup the overhead screens
• Last minute coaching by Wyatt
• The lineup begins
• Practicing
• Silvana wants to ask, too!
• More practicing!
• Retro-practicing (not uploaded yet)
• The coach up-close (not uploaded yet)
• Dr. McCarthy approves (not uploaded yet)
• Calling the tele-operator
• Connecting with our mentor in Texas and KOHN
• Connecting to Australia's ground station: T-6 min
• ISS approaches according to the Tracker
• Our ARISS mentor's personal introduction
• Our Question and Answer Session (Vimeo)
• The crowd reacts
• The Camp group poses
• Don with former Campers and KOHN

Tracking the ISS:

• Astroviewer
• ISS Tracker
• Heavens-Above
• AM Sat
• Ham Site [what we used on screen during the event; needs installation on PC]

ISS Assembly Graphic

Fun and Educational video clips:

• "JFK's Space Speech"
• Inertia During a "Reboost"
• Wringing a Wash Cloth on the ISS
• Going to the Bathroom in Space: Meteors!
• "Think Outside the Circle"
• Hammer and Feather from Apollo 15" [Mr. Cassidy promised to do this experiment for us on the ISS.]
• "What in the World do you Want?"
• "Coming Down to Earth"
• "Time Lapse Earth"
• "Making the Invisible Visible"
• "Apollo 11: Moon Landing"
• Apollo 16: Wild Driver
• Apollo 17: Look at the Size of That Rock!
• "Think Big"
• "Think Different"

Building Crystal Radios
Racing Newton's Cars
Watching the ISS Pass Overhead
Touring K7UAZ
Posing for the ISERV camera

Press release
Department of Astronomy
The University of Arizona
The Arizona Daily Star
Amphitheater School District
The Runner (newspaper of the Tohono O'odham Nation)
Mercury (magazine published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific; article to be written by an Astronomy Camper)

ARISS: Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
K7UAZ Amateur Radio Club of The University of Arizona
KOHN Radio (91.9 MHz; Voice of the Tohono O'odham Nation)
Arizona Public Media
Tuition scholarships were provided by the Sun City Vistoso Astronomy Club to five students from the Coronado K-8 School and by NIRCam for JWST to a Girl Scout from Florida as part of our educational partnership with the Girl Scouts of the USA.