BLOOMFIELD STUDENTS KEEP EYE TO SKY FOR SHUTTLE TALK

BLOOMFIELD -- Third grade students at Bloomfield elementary school will be watching the lift off of the Space Shuttle Columbia Thursday with great anticipation.

Barring any technical difficulties the space shuttle may experience, 76 third graders will be able to speak to the astronauts aboard the shuttle exactly three days, four hours and 52 minutes after liftoff. If the shuttle takes off exactly as scheduled, it will be in contact with Bloomfield at 2:44 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17.

"We are all so excited," said Sheila Parry, a third grade teacher in charge of the program. "This will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all the kids."

Bloomfield elementary was one of 15 schools selected nationwide to take part in an experiment as part of the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX).

The Space Shuttle Columbia is scheduled to launch a 13-day mission, at 10:53 a.m. EST Thursday. Crew members include Richard A. Searfoss, William S. McArthur Jr. (Amateur Radio call sign KC5ACR) and Martin J. Fettman (KC5AXA).

Teacher Parry is also a local ham operator, N0UOI. She will serve as control operator for the school during the mission.

Bloomfield elementary purchased a Amateur radio setup last year with the help of a $34,800 grant made possible through NASA affiliates. The school will have an eight-minute window during which they will be able to establish contact and speak to the shuttle astronauts.

Third graders submitted questions they would like to ask the astronauts during that time frame, which were judged by several different panels to come up with the top 10 best questions.

Time allowing, the winners will be able to ask their questions of the astronauts personally. Parry hopes that those questions which have not been asked before time elapses can be mailed to NASA.

"We're hoping someone like (astronaut) Linda Godwin will answer those questions which cannot be broadcast," Parry said. "Right now, we're not sure if that's possible at all."

In fact, if the shuttle experiences some sort of technical difficulties in orbit, the window of opportunity could be forever closed to the Bloomfield students.

"The students and parents both know the risks involved," Parry said. "But we don't want to think about that; we're just hoping everything goes as scheduled."

If takeoff is delayed, hams from the St. Louis area and NASA officials will help the school keep track of the time until the shuttle is over the city.

"Everyone is really charged up for this," Parry said. "The parents have all bought T-shirts for the kids, we working on making certificates and we have a special surprise for all the kids after it is over."

Bloomfield elementary school was chosen after Parry submitted a lesson plan she called "From Stars and Stripes to Satellite," several months ago.

Since Bloomfield was the home of the original Stars and Stripes newspaper which was published during World War II, the town has always emphasized the need for effective communication.

"For weeks (third graders) have been studying forms of communication from Indian smoke signals, to telegraph communication, to early phones, up to the modern media of today," she said. "All show the children how communications play an important role in everyday life.

"The kids have come a long way leading up to next Sunday," she said. "They've learned a lot, too."

On the day of the broadcast, the third graders may be joined by their local congressmen, representatives and other noteworthy people Parry has invited.

But until then, the students of Bloomfield elementary school are counting down the minutes to liftoff, and keeping their fingers crossed, and keeping their eyes on the stars.