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NorthJersey.com
CLIFTON — Astronauts say the darndest things.
But as a group of students here recently discovered, the tricky part is pinning one down to answer questions.
Their hard work paid off Wednesday afternoon, when they met at the Clifton Arts Center & Sculpture Park for an opportunity that few people have ever dreamed of.
Using an amateur radio setup, 10 children from area schools connected with astronaut Donald Pettit for an exclusive — but scripted — chat about life on the International Space Station. They asked him how he celebrates his birthday, how he keeps track of time and how he manages to fall asleep.
The students may also have a greater appreciation for their municipal sewer system.
“There’s nothing like that on the space station,” the astronaut told them. “No drains — no running water.”
At precisely 1:17 p.m., the students’ radio made contact with Pettit’s. They first heard white noise — what sounded like a glitching TV.
Then, there was a faint voice as the astronaut tried to break through the static. Kari Jairam, 14, an eighth grader at Lincoln Park Middle School, initiated the connection on the ground. She used call signs to communicate.
“NA1SS, NA1SS, this is W2NPT, ready for school contact. Over,” she said, talking into a handheld radio.
“I copy well, now, loud and clear. Over,” Pettit responded. “I’m ready for questions.”
The event was the culmination of more than a year of preparation. It started as a project at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Wayne, but the Diocese of Paterson closed the 65-year-old academy due to low enrollment in June.
Its principal at the time, Sandra Giordano, had already planned for the entire student body to make contact with an astronaut. To ensure that opportunity was not lost, she launched her own amateur radio club outside of school and redeployed some teachers to carry out the mission.
The new club, called Heart of ARC, conducted science workshops to prepare participating students for the eventual radio connection, facilitated by Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, or ARISS.
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It was scheduled midway through the six-hour event, which featured an art workshop, a dance presentation and a light lunch. There were also guest speakers, including Mayor Raymond Grabowski, and a pop-up “space shop,” with NASA T-shirts for sale.
Volunteers representing the Fair Lawn Amateur Radio Club spent a month building the equipment to make contact with the astronaut. Motorized antennae were erected outside, and redundant radios were installed inside. The connection was broadcast on YouTube, and in a separate room at the art gallery, family and friends of the students watched it live on a projection screen.
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“I’m so grateful that we made this opportunity happen,” Giordano said after the successful radio connection. “It really takes a village — I can’t begin to tell you the amount of dedication and the amount of work involved.”
All 10 children who talked to the astronaut were Giordano’s students at the former Catholic school.
Brayden Bankuti, 14, is currently enrolled at Academy of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes. He said it was a thrill to see his old schoolmates, though the highlight of the day was speaking to Pettit. “It was a cool and amazing experience,” said the eighth grader. “I’d love to do it again.”
He was the first student to ask a question during the connection, which lasted for less than 10 minutes. He wanted to know how being in space affected the astronaut’s feelings about Earth.
“Being in space, and looking at Earth and the cosmos, reaffirms all of your perspectives and your appreciation for art and beauty,” said Pettit, who, at 69, is the oldest active astronaut working for NASA.
Pettit is a chemical engineer and a former staff scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, about 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is on his fourth space flight, having relaunched into orbit in September.
And here is another little-known fact about the space traveler.
For his birthday, which falls on April 20, he eats biscuits smothered in peanut butter. There is no running water and, apparently, no cake.
That morsel of information conjured up a nervous chuckle from the adolescent listeners.
“I might see if I can try that,” student Mahi Jairam said about the peanut butter treat. Of the overall event, she added, “It takes a lot of time to accomplish big things.”
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news in your community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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