Bellefonte Area students could get chance to communicate with astronauts in space

Students at Bellefonte Area Middle School could get a glimpse of what it’s like in space.

The school is one of 13 in the country to be approved for the second phase of a selection process to host the Earthbound part of amateur radio contact with the International Space Station crew.

Representatives from the International Space Station are in the process of selecting schools to host ARISS contacts in early 2018.

According to a report from Assistant Superintendent Tammie Burnaford, submitted proposals must demonstrate the ability of the school to execute amateur radio contact. Once equipment plans are approved by the ARISS technical team, finalists will be place on the schedule by a team from NASA.

The project is spearheaded by Ellwood Brem, and Bellefonte Area school board member Jon Guizar — ham radio operators and members of the Nittany Amateur Radio Club.

“What happened was I heard about it from a friend and said, ‘Gee whiz, we should get on board with that,’ ” Guizar said.

Part of NARC’s mission is to help introduce radio technology to local youth and encourage careers in STEM fields.

“Programming is already developed by these agencies, and we have to go through rigorous levels of approval, but it’s helping to maximize the most people in an area or cross-sections of America with being exposed to STEM (subjects) and creating the opportunity for professional development for our teachers at the classroom level to mesh programming with that of current curriculum.”

Brem and Guizar have been working with Superintendent Michelle Saylor and Principal Sommer Garman on a set of proposals.

Calling it a “big commitment,” Guizar said the first phase was completed by submitting an education plan showing the ability to incorporate goals of the ARISS program with school curriculum.

The second phase of the process requires them to develop an equipment plan to demonstrate the ability to put together a radio station.

If approved, the idea is to have two systems of satellite tracking and antennas on the roof of the school that could give students up to 10 minutes of audio contact with the crew. The event, he said, would likely be held in the middle school auditorium and would allow some students to communicate in real-time with astronauts who are traveling at about 18,000 mph, Guizar said.

“The ARISS program was originally set up as a form of backup communication to reach the astronauts should the NASA system fail,” Guizar said in an email. “The program is an opportunity for amateurs to develop ground stations capable of communication with the ISS and provide the opportunity to practice using those stations.”

The primary goal of ARISS is to engage youth in STEM programs, and to raise awareness of space exploration, amateur radio and communications, according to the National Association for Amateur Radio.

This story was originally published July 13, 2017 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Bellefonte Area students could get chance to communicate with astronauts in space."