Oklahoma, Illinois Students To Link Up With NASA Astronauts On Space Station

Students from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Edwardsville, Illinois, will have the opportunity to talk with astronauts on the International Space Station next week as part of NASA’s Year of Education on Station. The two 20-minute, Earth-to-space calls will air live on NASA TV and the agency’s website.

NASA astronauts Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel will answer questions about life aboard the space station, NASA’s deep space exploration plans and conducting science in space during both opportunities.

The first event will connect Oklahoma students from several schools in grades 5 through 12 with the two Expedition 55 astronauts at 10:35 a.m. EDT Monday, May 14, from the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium. The students submitted essays describing what they would ask an astronaut and how that question relates to their own lives on Earth as part of the selection process.

The second event will allow eighth grade students from Liberty and Lincoln Middle Schools in Edwardsville to speak with Feustel and Arnold at 10:10 a.m. Friday, May 18.

Linking teachers 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 (STEM). These in-flight education downlinks are an integral component of NASA’s Year of Education on Station, which provides extensive space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators. Astronauts living in space on the orbiting laboratory communicate with the Mission Control Center on Earth 24 hours a day through the Space Network’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS).

In addition to the educational events, Feustel and fellow NASA astronaut Scott Tingle will be interviewed by the USA Today Network, and the “Off Track with Hinch and Rossi” podcast from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 9:35 a.m. Thursday, May 17.