July 3, 2018

Students from Virginia and across the region will have the opportunity to talk with astronauts on the International Space Station this week as part of NASA’s Year of Education on Station. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

NASA Expedition 56 astronaut Alex Gerst will connect with the students at 2:10 p.m. EDT Tuesday, July 10. He’ll answer questions about life aboard the space station, NASA’s deep space exploration plans, and conducting science in space.

Middle school students across NASA’s Langley Research Center’s five-state region, including Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds will be participating. The event will take place in the Virginia Air & Space Center at 600 Settlers Landing Rd, Hampton, VA 23669.

Media interested in attending should contact Kristyn Damadeo at kristyn.damadeo@nasa.gov or 757-864-1090.

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 NASA’s Mission Control Center on Earth 24 hours a day through the Space Network’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS).

Follow the astronauts on social media at:

https://www.twitter.com/NASA_astronauts/

See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation/

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