Sarasota Military Academy cadets got a rare chance Thursday: a live conversation with astronaut Luke Delaney aboard the International Space Station. Using amateur radio equipment set up with help from Tamiami Amateur Radio Club operators, students connected as the station passed over the Sarasota area. The window was brief, as all ISS passes are, but the questions got through.
The contact was part of ARISS, the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program, which connects students with crew members in orbit. SMA’s spot was especially hard to earn. The school was one of just 13 nationwide selected for an ARISS contact during the 2026-27 school year, meaning cadets competed against schools across the country for a few minutes of satellite time.
Events like this do quiet work. They turn science and technology from abstract subjects into something a student can actually touch, hear, and remember. The volunteers who hauled in the radios and coached the kids deserve a nod too. What would you have asked an astronaut if you had the microphone? Let us know on our Facebook page.
