Students from several states across the nation will have an opportunity this week to hear from astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The Earth-to-space calls will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. All events will take place virtually.
On Monday, May 17, at 1:10 p.m. EDT, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur will answer prerecorded video questions from students across the greater Houston area coordinated by the Ismaili Council for the Southwestern United States. Participating students are from the Aldine, Alief, Fort Bend, Houston, and Stafford school districts, as well as the private Awty International, Etoile Academy, The Honor Roll, and The Village Schools. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner will offer prerecorded opening remarks. Media interested in covering it should contact Alim Adatia at: 832-605-5296 or aadatia@gmail.com.
On Tuesday, May 18, at 11:30 a.m., NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei will answer prerecorded video questions from students from Oak Ridge Elementary School of Leadership, Environmental and Health Sciences in Eagan, Minnesota. Oak Ridge Elementary’s third graders have been engaged in an in-depth unit of space study in anticipation of the event. Media interested in covering it should contact Emily Buss at: 651-423-7746 or emily.buss@district196.org.
On Wednesday, May 19, at 10:40 a.m., NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet will answer prerecorded video questions from students from SciAccess, an initiative of Ohio State University’s Department of Astronomy that strives to make astronomy accessible for visually impaired students. SciAccess and OSU Astronomy have partnered to create Zenith, a mentorship program for students with visual and hearing impairment who are passionate about space. The event will feature live Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) captioning. Media interested in covering the event should contact Anna Voelker at: 412-303-7317 or thesciaccessconference@gmail.com.
Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance, and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Astronauts living in space on the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Space Network’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellites.
For more than 20 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked on the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Through NASA’s Artemis program, the agency will return astronauts to the Moon, with eventual human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation – ensures America will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery.
