California Students Await Call From Space Station Crew

WASHINGTON — About 300 elementary students will be treated to a unique show and tell on June 23 when they speak with astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

The call between students and the astronauts is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. EDT. Reporters interested in attending the event should contact Linda Berdere of the Rio Vista Elementary School in San Bernardino, Calif., at 909-381-1250.

Rio Vista students have been learning about the importance of electrical power on the station. They will hear first-hand what it is like to live and work in space from Expedition 24 astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Shannon Walker and Doug Wheelock.

The downlink event is part of a series with educational organizations in the U.S. and abroad to improve teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is an integral component of Teaching From Space, a NASA project that uses the unique environment of human spaceflight to promote learning opportunities and to build partnerships between the agency and the kindergarten-through-12th-grade education community.

These California students and teachers have been preparing for the event by connecting to NASA’s Digital Learning Network and learning about the station. Rio Vista also is home to two NASA Solar System Ambassadors. The ambassadors program is a public outreach effort run from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. It uses volunteers to communicate the excitement of space exploration missions and information about recent discoveries to people in their local communities.

NASA Television will air video from the space station during the event. For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about NASA’s education programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/education

For information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station