26 May 2022------------------M22-072

Students from Arizona will have an opportunity this week to hear from astronauts aboard the International Space Station. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Sen. Mark Kelly will participate in the call. The Earth-to-space call will air live at 1:35 p.m. EDT Friday, May 27, on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti will answer prerecorded video questions from students at Tarwater Elementary School in, Chandler, Arizona. Tarwater students are continuing a conversation about space to inspire students’ interest in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math subjects and careers.

The event will be virtual. Media interested in covering should contact Chandler Unified School District Director of Community Relations Terry Locke at: locke.terry@cusd80.com or 480-812-7650.

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 mathematics. Astronauts living in space on the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Near Space Network Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS).

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NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, left, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.