Jun 29 2016

From The Space Library

MEDIA ADVISORY M16-076 Illinois Students Chat Live with NASA Astronaut, Space Station Commander

Students in Elgin, Illinois, will have the opportunity to speak with a NASA astronaut living and working aboard the International Space Station at 12:35 p.m. EDT Thursday, June 30. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams will answer questions from second through sixth students about his experiences as an astronaut and life aboard the world’s only orbital laboratory. The event, hosted at the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin, will include students from Channing Memorial, Fox Meadow, Harriet Gifford, Highland, Hilltop, Huff, Lords Park, Lowrie, McKinley, Otter Creek, Ronald D. O’Neal, Timber Trails, Washington and Willard Elementary Schools.

Media interested in covering the event should contact Denise Raleigh at draleigh@gailborden.info. Gail Borden Public Library is at 270 North Grove Avenue.

Williams launched to the space station on March 18, where currently he’s conducting and participating in numerous critical science experiments until his scheduled departure in September.

This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of the NASA Office of Education’s efforts to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning in the United States. Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station through the Office of Education’s STEM on Station activity provides authentic, live experiences in space exploration and study, and the scientific components of space travel, while introducing the possibilities of life in space.