From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
PINSON — According to the Jefferson County Board of Education, Pinson Valley High School will be the first high school in Alabama to contact the International Space Station. The school was selected to enter into phase two after submitting a proposal to the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station or AIRSS.
Related story: Pinson Valley School to contact ISS astronauts through ARISS program
“The school will enter phase 2 of the proposal process and submit an equipment plan for review and acceptance by the ARISS program,” a statement by the board in 2017 said. “Once accepted, the school’s availability must match radio contact opportunities that NASA can offer between January and June of 2018. During the proposed ARISS contact Pinson Valley High School students will have the opportunity to interview an astronaut live on board the International Space Station as the ISS travels across the horizon orbiting approximately 250 miles above the earth’s surface.”
The proposal is being led by Jennifer Moore, who is an English teacher at PVHS. It is one of 13 American educational organizations to move into the second phase.
“The pursuit of this educational opportunity stretches across all content areas and includes civic involvement as well as the entire school feeder pattern,” Moore said in the 2017 statement. “The ARISS program provides a unique opportunity to expose our students to a multitude of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) careers, many of which our students can pursue at nearby colleges such as UAB. It will help us reach our goal of graduating college and career-ready young adults.”
PVHS is the first Alabama High School to directly contact the station through ham radio. In 2006, Bob Jones High School made contact with the station that was patched through by NASA, according to a source at the Jefferson County Board of Education.
PVHS is partnering with Southern Museum of Flight, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, and the Birmingham Amateur Radio Club’s Amateur Radio Advancement Group to make the contact possible.
Contact is scheduled to be made on April 10, shortly after 1 p.m. in the school’s auditorium. The event is invitation only as seating is limited. No one will be admitted after 12:45 p.m. to control the sound.