A 4-H Club made contact with an astronaut this summer by using technology that’s existed since the early 1900s.
Students called astronaut Jeff Williams via ham radio on July 27 to ask what it was like to live and work in space as he orbited more than 200 miles above Italy.
Made possible by a partnership with the University of Illinois Extension 4-H, Peoria-Area Amateur Radio Club and the Peoria Riverfront Museum, the live call to the International Space Station drew hundreds of space and amateur radio enthusiasts into the packed theater at Peoria Riverfront Museum. (Watch the live stream video.)
For about six weeks, kids in the Space to Ground 4-H Club learned about amateur radio, what it’s used for and why ham radios are on the International Space Station. They also built their own Morse code oscillator and explored concepts about satellites and electromagnetic waves.
Peoria Riverfront Museum reached out to University of Illinois Extension’s Judy Schmidt, a 4-H youth development educator serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell counties, because the museum wished to connect with NASA for its upcoming “Be An Astronaut” exhibit and wanted to partner with Extension on educational programming.
“It’s a great example of a collaboration,” Schmidt said of working with the amateur radio club and the museum. “It was a good opportunity to work together … a great way to reach out to new audiences and let them know 4-H is doing a lot in STEM.”
Wisconsin native Williams is a retired U.S. Army colonel and is likely to surpass astronaut Scott Kelly’s record of time spent in space when he returns to Earth in September.
Space to Ground Club members, making sure to speak in the signal language of amateur radio, asked him questions such as:
Luke: “What happens when you sneeze in space? Over.”
(Williams said it’s about the same, unless you make the mistake of forgetting to hold on to something. Sneezing in zero gravity has a tendency of propelling you backward.)
Lily: “What do you miss from Earth most while you are in space? Over.”
(Williams said he misses his family and his wife’s cooking.)
Zane: “Is it true that your spine grows abnormally in space? Over.”
(Fact: You do “grow” in space. Astronaut Scott Kelly came back to Earth to find he was two inches taller. However, the growth is temporary, according to Popular Science.)
“To be there when his voice came on, it kind of takes your breath away,” Schmidt said. “To think that he’s 250 miles above you in the International Space Station.”
They had two ways to reach the International Space Station, she said: either by direct link or what’s known as a telebridge frequency. Too many tall buildings surround the Peoria Riverfront Museum, eliminating the option for direct link. So the museum called a contact in Italy, who then connected the International Space Station using a ham radio. Students would only have a 10-minute window to speak with Williams, so they submitted their questions ahead of time.
Although amateur radio’s origins can be traced to the creation of the American Radio Relay League in 1914, it’s not unknown to kids in 2016. Several of the students in the 4-H Club were familiar with ham radio, Schmidt said. One even had a ham radio app on his phone.
Schmidt said she hopes the combination of space exploration and amateur radio will spark further interest in STEM and perhaps even interest in the Peoria-Area Amateur Radio Club. The radio club helps with communications during local races, she said, where they can contact people when cellphones aren’t reliable. The club also assisted with communication relays when a tornado hit Washington, Illinois, in 2013.
“This is a good example of how partnerships work really well in Extension,” she said. “It’s something we couldn’t have done on our own.”
To see what other events this U. of I. Extension branch has coming up, visit their website or follow them on Facebook.