Ohio Students to Speak with NASA Astronauts on Space Station

Students at Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, will speak with NASA astronauts living, working and doing research aboard the International Space Station at 10:10 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA TV’s Media Channel and the agency’s website.

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba, who are currently aboard the International Space Station on Expedition 53, will be asked questions by select students. Discussion will include topics about living aboard the space station, NASA’s deep space exploration plans and science in space.

Vande Hei and Acaba both arrived at the space station Sept. 12. This is Vande Hei’s first space mission and Acaba’s third. In their time aboard the space station, Vande Hei conducted two spacewalks and Acaba conducted one. Together they will return to Earth in February 2018.

Shaker Heights High School was selected through a competitive process to host a downlink with the station. Across the district, students have been preparing for the event by studying the space station, the biographies of Vande Hei and Acaba, and the current research and activities happening aboard. Students also are learning about the cosmos through the high school’s planetarium and astronomy classes. Student art inspired by space exploration will be displayed before the downlink begins.

Media interested in attending the event should contact Kristen Miller via email at miller_kr@shaker.org or phone 216-295-6144. Shaker Heights High School is at 15600 Parkland Drive in Shaker Heights.

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 math (STEM). This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of NASA’s Year of Education on Station which provides extensive space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators.

Follow the astronauts on social media:

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

For more information, videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station, visit:

 https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation/