Santa Barbara Public Library to Contact International Space Station

Source: City of Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara Public Library is excited to announce the date for the contact with the International Space Station has been confirmed. On Wednesday, July 3rd, between 10 am and noon in the Faulkner Gallery at 40 E. Anapamu, the community is invited to listen in as 12 children ask astronaut Nick Hague questions about life on the space station, careers in STEM, experiments in space, and more. 

 Doors will open at 10 am. Children and families will have the opportunity to explore space through virtual reality, create rocket ships, and more before and after the contact, which is scheduled for 10:54 am. 

Children and families will be given priority access to the event, and attendees are encouraged to arrive early. Capacity for the Faulkner Gallery is 175 people, but overflow viewing and listening will be available. 

This experience is made possible by the Amateur Radio community in cooperation with NASA. Radio contact will be coordinated by SBPL youth services staff, volunteers with the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club, and ARISS mentors. 

“The Library is the community’s launch pad to learning, and we’re excited to offer opportunities that excite interest in space exploration, science, technology,” said Library Director Jessica Cadiente. 

All ages have enjoyed space-themed programs and events at the Library over the last few months, including learning about astronomy, an introduction to HAM radio, hands on engineering and technology projects, and more. Related programming will continue through the month of July. A full calendar of events is available on our website at SBPLibrary.org/summer.

About ARISS

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) is a cooperative venture of international amateur radio societies and the space agencies that support the International Space Station (ISS).  In the United States, sponsors are the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT), the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the ISS National Lab and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The primary goal of ARISS is to promote exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics by organizing scheduled contacts via amateur radio between crew members aboard the ISS and students in classrooms or public forms. Before and during these radio contacts, students, educators, parents, and communities learn about space, space technologies, and amateur radio. For more information, see www.ariss.org.

What is Amateur Radio?

Amateur, or “Ham,” Radio, is a popular service and hobby in which federally licensed participants operate communication equipment. There are over 700,000 licensed amateurs and nearly 2,300 ARRL-affiliated Amateur Radio clubs in the United States. Hams talk to each other across town, around the world, and even into space without the need for normal communications infrastructure, such as cell phone networks or the Internet. Amateur Radio is regularly used during natural disasters to help local emergency and service agencies (such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and state and local governments) respond when normal communication methods are disrupted. The Amateur Radio community is a great source of electronics experimentation, public service, and fun. Learn more about local amateur radio with the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club at their website: https://www.sbarc.org/.