Students speak to Tim Peake in space
Students giving thanks to the audience
History made as Sandringham School pupils make amateur radio call to British astronaut Tim Peake
The contact took a short while to happen but then every one in the room could hear Tim Peake from the ISS replying to the call from Year 10 pupil Jessica Leigh, M6LPJ.
Other pupils lined up to ask their questions and Tim was able to speak to a number of them before the signal and the contact was lost.
Mike Jones, 2E0MLJ, Chair of the Youth Committee showed our new youth video after the contact to a rapt audience.
He and other RSGB and Verulam Amateur Radio Club (VARC) representatives chatted to people afterwards to explain more about amateur radio, including why it is still relevant in today’s world of mobile phones.
VARC had a working station set up in a room next to the hall and a good number of pupils and staff went to see it in action and to find out more.
Several pupils expressed an interest in doing the Foundation licence so the club will be working with the school to plan a course for them.
The pupils were inspired by the contact and also by hearing from a panel which included Libby Jackson, UK Space Agency’s Astronaut Flight Education Programme Manager for Tim Peake’s Principia mission.
The panelists encouraged the pupils that they could achieve their dreams of careers in the science and technology world—even if that dream is to become an astronaut!
RSGB President John Gould, G3WKL, said afterwards:
“It was a historic moment hearing a British school pupil speaking via amateur radio to a British ESA astronaut on the International Space station. I hope that seeing this will have inspired other young people to get involved with amateur radio and to find out what a fun and practical way it is of understanding and developing science, engineering and technical skills.”
Tim Peake called Sandringham School head, Alan Grey, later in the morning to thank every one and the atmosphere in the room was still buzzing long after the contact was made—congratulations to every one involved.
Category: ARISS, Front Page News, GB2RS Headlines, Principia Mission
