NASA Space Station Astronauts Skype into East Kentucky (VIDEO)

Featured photo of Expedition 48 crew members Kate Rubins and Jeff Williams, credit NASA.

IMG_1980What would you ask astronauts orbiting the Earth’s atmosphere in an international space station? Leslie County High School students had to decide on Wednesday, August 31 when they made a live video call to NASA Expedition 48 via Skype with support from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.  A couple dozen students fired questions at Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins while 500 of their peers watched. Their shared microphone floated in front of them between questions while a wired up and strapped down space station backdrop illuminated the theater screen in the Hyden HCTC Bluegrass Building.

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Astronaut Tim Kopra and Congressman Rogers

Congressman Hal Rogers hosted the event, introducing Expedition 48’s previous Commander, Tim Kopra, who returned from the space station June 18 and joined Leslie County students in Hyden to provide background on life in a space station before the Earth-to-space Q & A began. Kopra also presented the High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) program, an educational initiative to give High School students the opportunity to create hardware with NASA’s aid.  To set up the interactive call, video introductions to both Commander Williams and Engineer Rubins played after Representative Rogers thanked Kopra for his service to our country.

NASAKYmemeQuestions from students ranged from on-station technologies that have real Earth applications, to exploration of other planets and the most valuable elementary school lessons that help in international space travel.  In addition to answering questions, Rubins and Williams shared with students that they’ve been preparing for a space walk to happen on September 1, and the space station orbits Earth once every 90 minutes. The Skype call aired live on NASA Television. Below is a 15-minute highlight video of the entire event with the student-led live video call beginning around the 4-minute mark. Enjoy!

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