NASA Astronaut to Speak with Students, Parents, Teachers at YouthSpark

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Students attending Microsoft's YouthSpark event will have the opportunity to speak with NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station next week as part of NASA's Year of Education on Station. The Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold will participate in a question and answer session with students at 11:15 a.m. EDT on Monday, Aug. 13, from Space Center Houston, the official visitor center of NASA's Johnson Space Center. Arnold will answer questions about science, exploration, and life aboard the space station. Participants will include students currently enrolled in grades 7-12, as well as their teachers and parents.

Microsoft YouthSpark is an immersive daylong conference designed to empower young people to improve their communities and the world through the pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEM)-related fields.

Media interested in covering the event and downlink should contact Gary Jordan at [email protected] or 281-483-5111. Space Center Houston is located at 1601 NASA Parkway, Houston.

Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in STEM. 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 (TDRS).

Follow the astronauts on social media at:
https://www.twitter.com/NASA_astronauts

See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at:
https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

SOURCE NASA