Press Releases | Oct, 22 2015
AUSTIN - High school students in Austin, Texas, will find out what it’s like to spend a year in space, when they talk to the year-long crew on board the International Space Station on Oct. 23.
Space station Commander Scott Kelly and Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko launched into space on March 27, with plans to spend one year at the station, in order to further research into how human bodies respond to long periods of time in microgravity. On Oct. 16, Kelly broke the record for most time spent in space by an American, surpassing the previous benchmark of 382 cumulative days in space.
At 9:25 am CDT on Friday, Oct. 23, Kelly and Kornienko will spend 20-minutes talking with students from LBJ Early College High School in Austin about their mission in a conversation broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's website. The time of the call is subject to change depending on real-time operations.
The event will be held at the LBJ Presidential Library, where the students will also hear a presentation on NASA history and take part in a panel discussion with a number of former astronauts. Media interested in covering the event at the school must contact Anne Wheeler at 512-721-0216, awheeler@lbjfoundation.org.
During their year in space, Kelly and Kornienko – along with their crewmates –will conduct more than 250 science investigations in fields, such as biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences, and technology development. Students and teachers can find out more about the space station and the research that the crew on board is taking part in by visiting NASA’s STEM on Station website at www.nasa.gov/education/stemstation. The website includes information, videos and even lesson plans geared toward Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – or STEM – subjects, which can be used in the classroom.
This event is an integral component of the NASA Education Office effort to improve STEM teaching and learning in the United States. Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides them with an authentic, live experience of space exploration, space study and the scientific components of space travel, while introducing them to the possibilities of life in space.
For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.
For education resources related to the International Space Station, visit: www.nasa.gov/education/stemstation.
