NASA Astronauts to Call Chicago Area Students from International Space Station

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May 02, 2016, 02:52 ET

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Students from 11 schools in South Holland, Illinois, will have the opportunity to speak with two NASA astronauts currently living and working aboard the International Space Station at 11:55 a.m. EDT Thursday, May 5. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

The event, hosted by South Suburban College, will begin when Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois opens the downlink with Expedition 47 Commander Tim Kopra and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois will close the call.

Media interested in covering the event should contact Lisa Miller at [email protected]. South Suburban College is located at 15800 State Street.

Participating schools include: Arbor Park, Coolidge and Gwendolyn Brooks Middle Schools; Kankakee Montessori, Junior and High Schools; King and Kennedy Upper Grade Centers; Roosevelt Junior High School; St. George School District 258; and STEM Academy.

Williams launched to the space station March 18 and will live aboard until September. Kopra launched Dec. 15 and will return home in June.

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 agency Office of Education'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/stemonstation

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SOURCE NASA