Space Station Crew Talks With Students At Florida Science Center

WASHINGTON -- Approximately 500 middle school students and teachers at the Pinellas County Science Center in St. Petersburg, Fla., will have
an out-of-this-world phone conversation with NASA astronauts aboard
the International Space Station.

Flight Engineers Doug Wheelock, Tracy Caldwell Dyson, and Shannon
Walker will make the long-distance phone call on Thursday, Sept. 9,
from 11:45 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. EDT.

Students have prepared for the downlink by using data from NASA's
satellite network to complete lessons in robotics and marine science.
NASA astronaut Robert Springer will be on hand at the center to speak
with the students and answer questions. NASA education staffers also
will conduct experiments with the students.

The downlink is one in a series with educational organizations in the
U.S. and abroad to improve teaching and learning in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics. It is an integral component
of Teaching From Space, a NASA Education Office program. It promotes
learning opportunities and builds partnerships with the education
community using the unique environment of human spaceflight.

The center is celebrating its 50th year as a non-profit educational
facility with programs focused on science, technology, engineering
and mathematics. The center houses an observatory, planetarium,
marine touch tank, weather station, wetlands and labs for cyber
security, forensics, chemistry, robotics, energy, petrology and computers.

NASA Television will air video from the station during the event. For
NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about NASA's education programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education

For information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

Source: NASA