Grant date: October 2021

Amount: $1,292,515

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, Inc., (ARISS-USA) is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) by arranging live Q&A sessions between K-12 students and astronauts in orbit. ARISS-USA engineers and builds on-orbit amateur radio equipment, performs periodic requests for proposals for ARISS contacts, reviews submitted proposals from schools with a focus on disadvantaged youth and underrepresented communities, coordinates all contact logistics, and promotes the results. Over the last two decades and nearly 1400 contacts, over a million school children have connected with scientists and engineers aboard the International Space Station (ISS) using amateur radio, with millions more watching and learning.

The five-year $1.3M grant will enable ARISS to improve the educational experience by:

1. Sending educational wireless electronics kits to US and international schools to prepare for a radio contact with the ISS
2. Conducting workshops and outreach for teachers on how to use the kits, how to develop winning ARISS contact proposals, and learn about other space and amateur radio lessons they can bring into the classroom
3. Assuring the continuation of future ISS astronaut contacts