ARISS: How Amateur Radio Connects Students to Space Missions

When you think of space communication, you might picture NASA engineers sending commands to a rover on Mars. But ARISS, a program that connects students on Earth to astronauts aboard the International Space Station using amateur radio. Also known as Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, it turns classrooms into mission control centers for a few precious minutes every week. This isn’t science fiction—it’s happening right now, with kids in schools from Alaska to Kenya picking up headsets and hearing real astronauts answer their questions in real time.

ARISS works because the ISS has a dedicated radio station, operated by astronauts who are licensed ham radio operators. These aren’t just fancy walkie-talkies—they’re full amateur radio systems that can transmit voice, data, and even digital images across thousands of miles. The signal travels from the station’s antennas, bounces off the ionosphere, and lands on a ground station near a participating school. When a school schedules a contact, NASA and ESA help coordinate the timing so the ISS passes overhead during school hours. For those 10 to 15 minutes, students get to ask astronauts about life in space, how they stay healthy, or what it’s like to see Earth from orbit. No screens. No videos. Just a voice coming from 250 miles up.

This isn’t just a cool demo. It’s a powerful tool for science education. Studies from NASA and ESA show that students who participate in ARISS are far more likely to pursue STEM careers. Why? Because they’re not watching a documentary—they’re part of a live, unpredictable, real-time mission. One student in Ohio asked an astronaut how they sleep in zero-G. The answer? "You kind of float in a bag." That moment stuck. That’s the power of direct connection. And it’s not just for schools. Amateur radio clubs, universities, and even hospitals have used ARISS to test emergency communication protocols in case satellite systems fail.

Behind every ARISS contact is a team of volunteers—engineers, teachers, and ham radio operators—who install antennas, test equipment, and train students. The hardware is often built from off-the-shelf parts, making it affordable even for underfunded schools. You don’t need a billion-dollar budget to reach space. You just need curiosity, a radio, and the willingness to listen.

What you’ll find in the posts below are real stories from schools that made contact, the tech that makes it possible, and how this low-cost, high-impact program is shaping the next generation of space explorers. From antenna design to student questions that made astronauts pause and think, these articles show how a simple radio signal can bridge the gap between Earth and orbit.