Lucky Philadelphia youth will interact with astronauts As International Space Station passes overhead June 26

PHILADELPHIA, June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the International Space Station zooms overhead next week, Destination Imagination students and Philadelphia youths from area schools and Boys and Girls clubs will have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with the astronauts in space.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120510/DC05048LOGO)

Students will ask questions and solve brain teasers during their session with NASA astronauts Joe Acaba and Don Pettit, and European astronaut Andre Kuipers, who are on board the International Space Station. 

The event will take place 10:35 to 10:55 a.m. on Tuesday, June 26, in the Gallagher Athletic, Recreation and Convocation Center at Philadelphia University, which is located at 4201 Henry Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19144 in the East Falls section of Philadelphia.

"We are pleased to partner with Destination Imagination to educate the innovators of tomorrow," said D.R. Widder, executive director of innovation at Philadelphia University, which is a national sponsor of DI.  "Philadelphia University's educational mission is grounded in our Nexus Learning approach: collaborative, active, project-based and connected to the real world.  The NASA project employs these values to teach students in an innovative and collaborative environment."

Cherry Hill, N.J.-based Destination Imagination, the largest program of its kind in the world that teaches critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and problem solving, was selected by NASA to have DI problem-solving challenge teams take part in the downlink.

"Destination Imagination is honored to be chosen as the recipient of the NASA downlink allowing students the unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask questions of  astronauts on board the International Space Station," said Chuck Cadle, CEO of Destination Imagination, based in Cherry Hill, NJ.       

The astronauts are always having to solve Challenges-the Downlink participants will be asked to solve Challenges using only materials available on the Space Station. If time allows, the astronauts will compete against the students in one of two Instant Challenges to solve hands-on brain teaser problems. The first challenge requires astronauts to build the highest tower possible using only Post-It Notes.  The second Challenge requires building a space creature from supplies on board the space station and giving it a job to perform. 

The exact time of the downlink could change.  Live streaming of the event can be seen at Ditv.idodi.org.

SOURCE Destination Imagination

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