Press Release

Gadsden students help NASA test communication link for future science studies onboard the International Space Station

By SpaceRef Editor

March 20, 2000

Filed under Marshall Space Flight Center

Media Advisory: 00-097

Attention: Early Morning
Producer
Thursday and Friday March 23 &
24

6-10 a.m. EST

10 Minute Windows–With B-Roll

Students in Patricia Edwards’ class at Rainbow Middle School in
Gadsden, Ala. are part of unique NASA communication program
designed for scientists on Earth to talk to Space Station crews.

Students talked live, via the Internet, with astronauts and scientists at
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center during testing of a computer
system called the Telescience Resource Kit (TReK).

NASA provided TReK hardware and software to 26 classrooms
across the United States.

Students linked directly to the Payload Operations Center at Marshall
— the command post for all science aboard the Space Station —
helping NASA fine-tune the network.

In the future, scientists on the ground will use TReK to get information
from, and transmit commands to, experiments onboard the Space
Station.

Students will also have opportunities to communicate directly with
astronauts onboard the Space Station.

The project’s creator will talk about what TReK means for your
students, teachers and NASA.

 Who: 
                                Bob Bradford
                                Engineer
                                Marshall Space Flight Center 
 Satellite Windows: 
                                10 minutes 
 Satellite Coordinates: 
                                GE-2, Transponder 9C,
                                85 degrees west longitude,
                                Frequency: 3880 MHz, audio: 6.8
                                MHz.
 Satellite Interview Information:
 Lindsey Rawl, Producer
 (256) 544-2228

Beeper (256) 544-1183 PIN 0025
Story Information:
Steve Roy, Media Relations
(256) 544-0034

SpaceRef Editor

SpaceRef staff editor.

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