One fine morning, Orak was flipping through his The Book of Everything. Flipping through the pages, he uttered, “Isabella is so lucky!” Orak was reading exciting news.
“Who is Isabella? And why is she so lucky?” Scorch said.
“Isabella Payne is an eight-year-old girl from Kent, England. She is lucky because she got a chance to speak to an astronaut!” Orak exclaimed.
Verum said, “How did it happen?”
“On the night of August 2,” Orak said, “Isabella went to her room and slept after dinner. It was her usual routine. But her father, Matthew, woke her up in the middle of the night and took her to the radio bench!”
“Radio bench?” a confused Felix commented.
“Yes! Isabella and her father are huge fans of space and radio communications. They have a special radio called the HAM radio. HAM radio is also known as amateur radio. It can be used to talk to people anywhere in the world and even space!” Orak said.
“That’s interesting. But how did they connect with the astronaut,” asked Verum.
“Matthew discovered that American astronaut Kjell Lindgren was passing over Kent that night. Lindgren is currently working on the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is a space station that orbits the Earth. The ISS has a HAM radio station for astronauts to talk to people on Earth.
Matthew couldn’t contain his excitement and didn’t want Isabella to miss this excellent opportunity. He rushed to Isabella’s room and woke her up!” Orak replied.
“What happened next?” said Felix eagerly.
“Initially, Isabella was too sleepy and did not want to wake up. But when her father told her that she could get to speak to an astronaut in space, passing over Kent right now, she rushed to the radio bench,” Orak replied.
Verum knew something about such radios, so she remarked, “Usually, such radio communications are very short. The people on the ground exchange names and locations with the astronauts. Then they say thank yous and goodbyes.”
“Isabella, too, had a short conversation,” agreed Orak, “Isabella told Lindgren her name and age. She was so happy that she thought she was dreaming!” Orak laughed.
“What was Lindgren’s reaction?” Scorch said.
“He loved it too! He said this chat was his favorite contact with people on Earth,” Orak answered.
Isabella wants to become a communications specialist when she grows up. So that she can talk to astronauts all the time!”
Felix nodded seriously, “Smart decision.”