Successful combined contact for two schools in Livorno and Lomazzo, Italy, with Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA

Friday, 03 November, 2017 at 09:27 UTC, 10:27 local time and at 11:03 UTC and on 12:03 UTC, students at Liceo Scientifico ‘Francesco Cecioni”, Livorno, Italy and Liceo Artistico Melotti, Lomazzo, Italy established a combined direct contacts with ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli IZØJPA, onboard the International Space Station.

This was a direct/telebridge contact performed by Amateur radio ground stations IQ5LI located at Liceo Scientifico ‘Francesco Cecioni”, Livorno, Italy.

School Information:

The liceo scientifico "Francesco Cecioni" in Livorno is a high school with about 1200 students. The school was born in 1972 as a subsidiary but in 1974 already got its own identity for the experimental and innovative methods introduced as response to the demanding instruction innovation. Since 2010 the school has four specializations: scientific, linguistic, artistic and humanistic; the half of the students follow the scientific specialization. From the '80s, Liceo Cecioni sent its representatives to the final rounds of the national competition in math and physics.
At present, astrophysics is the topic of the "Astrolab" program, reserved for the best students of the school and organized in collaboration with a network that includes: TNG at Las Palmas (Canary), Pisa and Pavia University, Arcetri Observatory (Florence) and S.Marcello Pistoiese Observatory (Pistoia). The deep involvement in the "Zero Robotics" competition has increased the interest of the students in the space research.

Liceo Artistico “Melotti” in Lomazzo (Como) is arts high school addresses the study of aesthetic phenomena and artistic practice. It promotes the acquisition of specific methods of research and artistic production and the competence of related languages and techniques. It provides students with the tools necessary to know the artistic heritage in its historical and cultural context and to fully appreciate its presence and value in today's society. It helps students to deepen and develop their knowledge and competences and to mature the skills necessary to give expression to their creativity and design skills in the field of arts. (Age 14-18)

Mentors Francesco De Paolis IKØWGF and Gianpietro Ferraio IZØGOJ proposed to the Radio Contact coordinators a joint contact and proposed both schools to share the event, alternating questions from both sites. Mr. Fabrizio Carrai IUSGEZ and Mr. Paolo Orietti IZ2YAS, coordinating the events, agreed and set up a joint contact. The questions were read by students, alternatively, by Liceo Scientifico ‘Francesco Cecioni”, Livorno, Italy and Liceo Artistico Melotti, Lomazzo, Italy.

Contact was established at 09:27 UTC, 10:27 local time, with IRØISS. Astronaut Paolo Nespoli answered 15 questions and before LOS the radio contact coordinator proposed to astronaut complete the sequence of the questions during the following orbit. Nespoli agreed.
At 11:03 UTC UTC contact was established again with Paolo Nespoli, who answered the additional 9 questions. Before LOS exchanged the greetings with both schools.
Signals from the ISS was loud and clear during the both joint contacts.
More than 500 students, parents, visitors and media attended to both events.
In addition, the onboard HamVideo tramsitter was operational for the ISS passes and streaming video was available at:
https://ariss.batc.tv/hamtv/

Regional Television, local media and newspapers covered the event.

73 de Francesco - IKØWGF & Gianpietro - IZ2GOJ

Video recorded by IK1SLD GS during the scheduled contact: https://youtu.be/bZ74D_AiyM8

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