Friday, May 20, 2011

Tucson Students Call Shuttle Astronauts Orbiting Earth

May 20, 2011

Ann Marie Trotta
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1601
ann.marie.trotta@nasa.gov

Lynnette Madison
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
lynnette.b.madison@nasa.gov


RELEASE: 11-156

TUCSON STUDENTS CALL SHUTTLE ASTRONAUTS ORBITING EARTH

WASHINGTON -- Space Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly and mission
specialist Mike Fincke, who are aboard the International Space
Station, will speak with students from Mesa Verde Elementary School
in Tucson, Ariz., on Sunday, May 22. In January, a shooting that
gravely injured Commander Kelly's wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords,
killed six people including nine-year-old Christina Taylor-Green who
attended the school.

The May 22 event is scheduled to air live on NASA Television at 10:45
p.m. EDT. Due to limited space, the event is not open to media.

During the broadcast, viewers will be able to see both the astronauts
and the students. Approximately 400 kindergarten through fifth grade
students will participate in the event and learn how the unique
environment of space helps advance scientific discovery and
exploration.

Astronaut Lee Morin also will be at the school answering questions. He
flew on space shuttle Atlantis' STS-110 mission in 2002, performing
two spacewalks during which the station's robotic arm was used for
the first time to maneuver spacewalkers around the station.

"The opportunity allows students to ask astronauts orbiting the Earth
questions about what it's like to live in microgravity," said Cindy
McArthur, Teaching From Space project manager at NASA's Johnson Space
Center in Houston. "It helps them understand the importance of
studying science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)."

The in-flight education downlink is part of a series with educational
organizations in the United States and abroad to improve teaching and
learning in STEM subjects. It is an integral component of Teaching
From Space, an agency program promoting learning opportunities and
builds partnerships with the education community using the unique
environment of space and NASA's human spaceflight program.

For NASA TV information and schedules, visit:


http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about the shuttle mission, visit:


http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:


http://www.nasa.gov/iss

For information about NASA's education programs, visit:


http://www.nasa.gov/education


-end-

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