NASA astronauts to answer questions from Florida students

NASA announced that astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney will answer prerecorded STEM questions from students in Florida while aboard the International Space Station. The Earth-to-space call will begin at 12 p.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 16. The agency said the event will be hosted by Sally Ride Elementary School in Orlando, Florida, for students in grades K-12 and the community.

The call will stream live on the agency's Learn With NASA YouTube channel. The agency said the unique opportunity aims to deepen understanding of space exploration and enhance awareness of STEM careers. Students will hear from the astronauts as they answer questions about life and work aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Media interested in covering the event must RSVP no later than 5 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 15, to Jenny Morgan at (407) 858-3100 or at jenny.morgan@ocps.net. The agency said contacts should reach out to Morgan for press credentials and additional details.

According to the agency, for more than 25 years people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight.

The agency said the space station also helps expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. The research conducted aboard the station builds on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon as part of the Artemis program and eventually to Mars.