jsc2019e054895.jpeg 2017 NASA astronaut candidates Raja Chari and Kayla Barron examine samples during geology training in Arizona. Credits: NASA/Bill Stafford

Students from Washington state 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 12:50 p.m. EST Tuesday, Jan. 18, on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari will answer prerecorded video questions from students participating in Mount Rainier National Park’s Education Program. Barron’s hometown is Richland, Washington. The event, hosted by Mount Rainier National Park in partnership with Columbia Crest A-STEM Academy in Ashford, Washington, includes activities for students tied to the theme “Connections through Community.” The school, named after the summit peak of Mount Rainier, is the nearest school to the park. Through the long-standing partnership with Mount Rainier National Park’s Education Program, students explore teamwork, adventure, ecosystems, and astronomy.

The event will be virtual. Media interested in covering it should contact Kevin Bacher, Public Information Officer at Mount Rainier National Park at: 360-569-6567 or kevin_bacher@nps.gov.

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 aboard 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 21 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Through Artemis, NASA will send 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.

See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

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Press Contacts

Katherine Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1288
katherine.m.brown@nasa.gov

Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-8670
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov 

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