Iowa Students to Hear from NASA Astronauts Aboard Space Station

Students from Iowa will have an opportunity next week to hear from NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The Earth-to-space call will air live at 10:30 a.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 27, on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur will answer prerecorded questions from students who participated in Astro Camps across the state this past summer. The downlink event is a collaborative effort between the Iowa Space Grant Consortium, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, and Iowa 4-H Youth Development.

The Student Innovation Center at Iowa State University and other locations across the state will host watch parties for this virtual event.

Media interested in attending or covering the downlink event should contact Valyn Bodensteiner at: 515-294-1082 or [email protected].

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 Space Network’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellites.

For more than 20 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked on the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Through Artemis program, the agency will return astronauts to the Moon, with eventual human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation – ensures America will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery.