NASA Astronauts Aboard Space Station to Answer Questions from STEM Students

Students from across the country will have an opportunity this week to ask questions of NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The Earth-to-space call will air live at 12:20 p.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 7, on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

NASA astronauts Shannon Walker and Kate Rubins will answer prerecorded questions from students engaged in Million Girls Moonshot, an after-school program launched by the STEM Next Opportunity Fund and aimed at inspiring underrepresented STEM students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. The movement aims to engage 1 million school-age girls nationwide over the next five years in STEM learning opportunities.

The event will be virtual. Media interested in covering should contact Lisa Lederer at [email protected] or 202-371-1999.

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).

For more than 20 years, astronauts have continuously lived and work on the space station, testing technologies, performing science and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Through NASA’s Artemis program, the agency will land the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024, 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.