HAMPTON — Students will get a chance to interact with astronauts from the international space station via downlink on Tuesday at 2:10 p.m.
NASA’s Langley Research Center will host the second of four downlinks and all of the 20-minute, Earth-to-space calls will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Hampton’s downlink will give Virginia students an opportunity to speak with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Alexander Gerst.
The students were chosen from summer camps around the area and pre-registered by NASA Langley’s education department, said Kristin Damadeo, public information officer for NASA Langley.
Visitors to the Virginia Air and Space Center, 600 Settlers Landing Road, can watch the livestream from the museum lobby but will not be able to interact with the astronauts.
According to a news release from NASA Langley, for each of the events, students have a chance to find out anything they would like to know about life aboard the space station, NASA’s mission and upcoming science investigations.
By participating in the downlinks, students are linked directly to astronauts aboard the space station, providing a unique, authentic experience designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in science, technology, engineering and math, according to NASA Langley.
Astronauts living in space on the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Space Network’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellites.
See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at: https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation.
