Lewis and Clark NHP connects boys and girls to an astronaut in space

As part of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park NPS Centennial celebration, a group of local students and scouts will take part in a very important conversation September 3. Thanks to a partnership with a local amateur radio club, the youth will chat with astronaut Takuya Onishi, who is in orbit aboard the International Space Station, via radio transmission. The event is Saturday, Sept. 3, at the park's Netul Landing at the north end bus shelter. The public is welcome to attend.

This "explorer to explorer" conversation is part of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program, which lets students worldwide experience the excitement of talking directly with crew members of the International Space Station, inspiring youth to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and math, and engaging them with radio science technology through amateur radio. The International Space Station is a global partnership of 15 countries learning to work through differences in culture, language, politics, design, manufacturing, management, and operational styles. Lewis and Clark rangers have been working with students from the Astoria School District migrant summer school program and local girl and boy scouts to learn about the International Space Station, as well as connections between the daily activities of the Corps of Discovery and the ISS astronauts

For more information about Amateur Radio on the International Space Station go to http://www.ariss.org/.