In an extremely rare, once-in-a lifetime opportunity, Buffalo public elementary school students from PS 97 Harvey Austin will make contact with astronauts on the International Space Station via Amateur Radio. PS 97 was one of only 20 schools worldwide selected for this event, which is scheduled for the first week in March.

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) event will be managed by an international consortium of amateur radio organizations and space agencies including National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium at SUNY Buffalo State, and the Lancaster Amateur Radio Club (LARC).

Pam Ware, Corfu resident and member of LARC, holds an Amateur Extra license AB3PW, and is the liaison for the team of radio operators in providing hands-on experience and training for the students.

“This is a very challenging and very exciting opportunity for these students to learn about space travel and exploration, how the astronauts live and work in space, and how the students can, even at a young age, become radio amateurs and learn cutting-edge technologies for the emerging field of interplanetary communications,” Ware said.

LARC was founded in 1987 by Western New York ham radio operators to advance the amateur radio hobby in the area. Since the founding, LARC has grown from just a few members to the largest amateur radio club in Western New York.