Kentucky Students Talk Live with NASA Astronauts on Space Station

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Aug 29, 2016, 12:14 ET

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Students in Hyden, Kentucky, will have the opportunity to speak with two NASA astronauts currently living and working aboard the International Space Station at 1:10 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Aug. 31. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins will answer questions from students of Leslie County High School at the Hazard Community & Technical College's (HCTC) School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music in Hyden.

Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky will kick-off the event, joined by NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, who returned from the space station June 18.

Media interested in covering the event should contact Danielle Smoot at [email protected] or 606-679-8346. The HCTC School of Bluegrass and Traditional Music is located at 108 Maple St.

Williams launched to the space station March 18 and is scheduled to depart Sept. 6. Rubins launched July 6 and will return home in October.

This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of the NASA Office of Education's efforts to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning in the United States. Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station through the Education Office's STEM on Station activity provides authentic, live experiences in space exploration, space study and the scientific components of space travel, while introducing the possibilities of life in space.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For more information, videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education/stemonstation

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SOURCE NASA