Students across the United States will have three opportunities to hear from NASA (National Aeronautics and Space) Administration astronauts aboard the ISS (International Space Station). The Earth-to-space calls will air live on Monday, February 7, Wednesday, February 9, and Friday, February 11, on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
NASA astronaut Kayla Barron will answer prerecorded video questions from K-6 students at North Decatur Elementary in rural Indiana at 1:10 p.m. EST Monday, February 7. The downlink rounds out a unit of space-themed STEM curriculum at the school and will provide students with real-world examples of why skills in engineering, science, technology, and math are important.
The event will be virtual. Media interested in covering it should contact North Decatur Elementary’s Linda Smith at 812-663-9215 or [email protected].
NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Raja Chari, and Thomas Marshburn will answer prerecorded video questions from students at Worthing Early College High School in Houston at 1:15 p.m. EST Wednesday, February 9. The downlink is part of the school’s “Sunnyside Goes Intergalactic” Earth science unit of study, which challenges students to practice sustainability.
The event will be virtual. Media interested in covering it should contact school Worthing Early College High School’s Julian Rhyne at 713-478-4279, or at [email protected].
Mark Vande Hei also will answer prerecorded video questions from students at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Virginia, at 1:10 p.m. EST Friday, February 11.
The event will be virtual. Media interested in covering it should contact Virginia Western Community College’s Corey Bapst at 540-857-6010 or [email protected].
Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student performance, learning, and interest in engineering, science, technology, and maths. Astronauts living in space on the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Near Space Network’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS).
For more than 21 years, astronauts have continuously worked and lived aboard the ISS, testing technologies, developing the skills, performing science needed to explore farther from Earth. Through NASA’s Artemis program, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers, the Artemis Generation, ensures America will continue to lead in discovery and space exploration.
