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==>MONTANA HIGH SCHOOLERS POSE TOUGH QUESTIONS VIA HAM RADIO

Tough questions posed by a high school group required some thoughtful and
detailed answers from astronaut Dan Bursch, KD5PNU, February 1 during a
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contact. Operating
NA1SS, Bursch represented the ISS Expedition 4 crew during an interview with
seven physics students at Butte High School in Butte, Montana. The Q-and-A
session was the crew's second school contact arranged by ARISS--a
cooperative effort of AMSAT, ARRL and NASA.

Student Oliver Huang wanted to know whether chemical reactions that normally
precipitate on Earth do the same in microgravity, and whether bones heal the
same in space as on Earth. Bursch explained that aboard the ISS, some
chemical reactions work differently because the densities of various
compounds cause them to mix in unexpected ways. "For example, hot air
doesn't rise," he pointed out. As for broken bones, Bursch speculated that
that there might be a need to replicate the stress of gravity on a fracture
in order to get broken bones to knit properly in microgravity.

Student Lori Stenson wanted to know how long an astronaut's oxygen supply
lasted during a space walk. Bursch said it depends in part on the type of
suit used, but for the Russian suits, the outside limit was about nine
hours. "The actual limitation is not the oxygen but the lithium hydroxide
that scrubs out the CO2," he explained. In response to another student's
question, Bursch explained that the spacecraft is equipped with
oxygen-scrubbing devices supplemented by fresh oxygen from Earth. "We do try
to recycle as much as we can," he said.

In responding to a question from student Michelle Shannon about the
detrimental effects of a lack of gravity, Bursch said he probably wouldn't
notice them until he returned to Earth. The crew will spend about five and a
half months in space.

Bursch and his crewmates Yuri Onufrienko, RK3DUO, and Carl Walz, KC5TIE,
were passing over Australia at the time, and radio contact was made via Tony
Hutchison, VK5ZAI. The contact marked Bursch's debut in handling questions
from students via ham radio. Bursch reportedly already has done some casual
hamming during his tour. 

"This was absolutely fantastic!" enthused coordinating teacher Sandy Shutey
after the contact. "It's one of the best things we've ever done!" She said
the event was a hands-on culmination several-months' study of space topics
on the part of her students. 

Since the first crew came aboard the ISS in November 2000, 40 schools and
other educational institutions have made successful contacts via ham radio
with ISS crew members. For more information, visit the ARISS Web site
<http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov>.--Gene Chapline, K5YFL/ARISS