South Carolina Students to Speak with NASA Astronaut on Space Station

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Sep 06, 2017, 11:19 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Students at Laing Middle School in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, which is near Charleston, will speak with a NASA astronaut living, working and doing research aboard the International Space Station at 10:20 a.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 8. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

Expedition 52 Flight Engineer Col. Randy Bresnik is an alumnus of The Citadel, located in Charleston. He will answer questions from students at Laing Middle School. The school is hosting the event with the help of Citadel cadets and The Citadel STEM Center of Excellence. Cadets will lead the younger students as they pose questions to the Citadel astronaut alumnus.

Bresnik launched to the space station on July 28. He is expected to return to Earth in December. A Marine Corps veteran and member of The Citadel class of 1989, Bresnik is one of the college's most visible principled leaders. In May of 2004, Bresnik was selected out of approximately 4,000 applicants to become one of the 11 members of NASA's Astronaut Class 9, becoming the first graduate of The Citadel to have the opportunity to fly in space. Expedition 52/53 is Bresnik's second mission to the space station, the first being in 2009. Bresnik is the commander of Expedition 53.

Media interested in covering the event should contact Kim Keelor at [email protected]. Laing Middle School is at 2705 Bulrush Basket Lane in Mt. Pleasant.

The cadets will lead a two-part event for the eighth grade students, visiting the class first to teach them about Bresnik, the space station, how the live downlink works and conduct an in-class lesson related to the space station. On Sept. 8, they will lead the conversation with Bresnik, guiding the participating students as they ask questions that are expected to revolve around experiments which Bresnik is assisting, as well as space fitness. Middle school students across the South Carolina Lowcountry as well as cadets on The Citadel campus are expected to watch the event on NASA TV. A link to recording will be provided to other teachers wishing to show it in their classrooms.

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 math (STEM). This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of NASA Education's STEM on Station activity, which provides a variety of space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators.

Follow the astronauts on social media:

https://www.twitter.com/NASA_astronauts

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

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

SOURCE NASA