WORCESTER, MA — Ten students from Worcester’s North High School are expected to speak directly with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station this fall through a live amateur-radio connection hosted by the EcoTarium.
The contact is scheduled for the week of October 12 through October 17. The exact date and time have not been announced. According to the EcoTarium, NASA will confirm the schedule in late September or early October based on the station’s orbital passes.
The project is being organized through ARISS, or Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, in collaboration with the Central Massachusetts Amateur Radio Association and North High School.
Hundreds of students will be invited to attend the contact and related educational programs, the EcoTarium said. Ten students will have the opportunity to ask questions during the radio exchange.
The schedule is subject to change. The museum said recent changes to International Space Station crew operations could affect astronaut availability.
A radio link to orbit
The planned contact will use amateur, or “ham,” radio. Unlike a regular phone or video call, the exchange depends on the International Space Station’s position as it passes over the area and the availability of the radio connection.
ARISS is a partnership involving NASA, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, the American Radio Relay League, and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. The program connects astronauts with schools and communities around the world while giving students an opportunity to learn about radio science, satellite communications, and space exploration.
The EcoTarium said the project will include an educator toolkit and interactive programs leading up to the contact.
The museum’s president and CEO, Noreen Johnson Smith, said the project will give students a practical way to learn about electromagnetic waves and radio communication. That statement was included in the EcoTarium’s announcement.
Public event planned
The EcoTarium will hold a public program called “Communicating Across the Cosmos” on Saturday, October 17.
The event will include programming about ham radio and the electromagnetic spectrum. If the astronaut contact does not take place live that day, the museum said it plans to show a full replay of the conversation.
The release does not identify the participating astronauts or provide the final contact time. It also does not say whether the live radio exchange itself will be open to the public, streamed, or available to media.
The EcoTarium is located at 222 Harrington Way in Worcester. Additional information about the astronaut contact and the October 17 event is available through the museum’s official ARISS information page and event page.
🔎 W.U.W. Verification Box
- Project / Topic: A planned amateur-radio conversation between Worcester students and an astronaut aboard the International Space Station.
- Current Status: The EcoTarium has been selected to host the ARISS contact, but the final date and time have not yet been announced.
- Key Dates or Decisions: The contact is scheduled for the week of October 12–17, 2026. The EcoTarium’s public “Communicating Across the Cosmos” event is scheduled for Saturday, October 17.
- Estimated Cost: The EcoTarium’s announcement does not identify a cost for the project or the public event.
- Timeline: NASA is expected to confirm the contact date and time in late September or early October, depending on International Space Station orbital passes.
- Immediate Next Steps: The EcoTarium, ARISS, CMARA, and North High School will continue preparing students and educational programming while awaiting the final contact schedule.
- Primary Sources: September 2, 2026, announcement from the EcoTarium; ARISS program information included in that announcement.
- What We Do Not Yet Know: The final date and time, the participating astronaut’s identity, the students’ questions, whether the live contact will be open to the public, and whether it will be livestreamed have not been announced.
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