Original publication date: June 26, 1996
"Saskatoon to Columbia, come in, please."
The shuttle came in, all right. Straight into a Saskatoon classroom.
A group of 11 Saskatoon students from elementary school space clubs spoke Monday to Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk.
Thirsk was 300 kilometres up, orbiting Earth in the space shuttle Columbia.
Ham radio operators and telephone operators from around the globe linked students at Alvin Buckwold School to the shuttle.
Anticipation mounted Wednesday morning as the students and about 50 onlookers gathered at the school’s space centre.
Each of the 11 space club members were clad in white overalls as they were briefed on the day’s mission.
"Remember this is an experiment," said Judy Luciuk, a space club leader and teacher at College Park School.
"The reason they call it an experiment is because they never know until the moment if it’s going to work."
Luciuk was trying to prepare the students for the possibility that they wouldn’t be able to reach Columbia.
"And remember to speak slowly and clearly if we do get through," she added.
After the briefing, the space club members spoke excitedly.
"It took me a while, but I finally got to sleep," said Denver Boldt, 12, of the night he had Tuesday.
"This is just a dream come true."
At about 10:45 a.m., a link was established with a ham radio operator named Gerald in Johannesburg, South Africa. The students were to link to the shuttle during a 10-minute window as it passed over Africa.
The link went through a combination of radio and telephone hookups through Chicago, Houston and Greenbelt, Md.
Students and spectators listened in as Gerald checked sound levels with the students and then tried to reach the shuttle passing over Africa.
"The shuttle is going to be coming over the horizon in Johannesburg shortly," explained Murray Stankay, a computer scientist and space buff from the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) who tracked the shuttle’s 90-minute, around-the-world journey by computer.
About 10 minutes of nervous silence followed, as the assembled crowd waited.
"OK, we’ve got Bob on the line, go ahead now," said George from Houston.
Derek Turner, 13, asked the first question.
"Hi Dr. Thirsk, this is Derek. I was wondering what adjustments do you need to make in space in regards to zero gravity?"
"Derek, the first thing you realize is that everything floats, including astronauts and hardware," Thirsk answered. "It’s very important to fix all your hardware, including experiments, pens, pencils and clothing."
"It’s also important to move slowly. If you move too quickly you bump into things and you’re also more likely to get motion sickness."
With that, Saskatoon school kids became a part of the 78th space shuttle mission which began a week ago.
The mission is scheduled to last 16 days, a new record for the shuttle program. The students were part of the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment, a program operated by NASA and ham radio operators.
After the first two questions, students were waiting their turns and re-reading their prepared questions when disaster struck.
Boldt was next to go when the connection ended.
"Can you give me a moment, please?" asked Gerald from Johannesburg.
Eleven desperate space buffs stared at the silent radio as they waited.
The radio crackled twice.
"I’m afraid that we’ve lost him, I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry," Gerald said.
The link lasted less than two minutes.
Gerald later explained that the computer he uses to align his antenna with the shuttle was programmed improperly. He tried to follow the shuttle by hand, but failed.
George from Houston then asked how many students, spectators and reporters were present.
When informed there were 11 students, 100 spectators and several media outlets present, George asked Saskatoon to hold the line.
"We might have another window coming up," George said.
Another link to the shuttle was found, this time through Santa Rosa, Calif. And this time, the link lasted about six minutes, and each space club member got to ask at least one question.
When the session ended and all the questions were asked, a cheer rose in the Alvin Buckwold School space centre worthy of the scene at Cape Canaveral after a successful launch.
Tears and hugs were shared among the adults present, while the space club members shared their glory. Boldt finally got to ask what the launch was like.
"He told me it was vibrating and really loud," Boldt said.
"This was amazing."
Luciuk shared a hug with a fellow leader after talking to reporters.
"It turned out just perfect," she told her friend as she wiped a tear from her eye.
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