High Schoolers Have Long-Distance Chat With Station Crew

High Schoolers Have Long-Distance Chat With Station Crew

11.15.05


It wasn't your average school day at Thomas Jefferson High School for
Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. On Tuesday, November 15,
students got a rare chance to chat face to face with Expedition 12 crewmates
Bill McArthur and Valery Tokarev on the International Space Station.

NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale and U.S. Secretary of Education
Margaret Spellings were on hand for the live downlink, which came as part of
International Education Week, a program developed by the U.S. Department of
State and the U.S. Department of Education to emphasize the global aspect of
education.

Students peppered the crew with a range of questions on topics such as
future energy sources, microgravity experiments, training, education, and
diet. Some questions were even asked in Russian, including one on McArthur
and Tokarev's different cultural backgrounds.

Thomas Jefferson High School is no stranger to cutting-edge education. The
school boasts 12 different science labs emphasizing robotics,
computer-assisted design, oceanography and more. Several faculty members
have experience with other space education programs, including NASA's
Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers.

"We're so excited to be part of this downlink," said Vice Principal Douglas
Tyson before the event. "This is where you see math, science and technology
in action. Space has always been a major-league turn-on at our school, and
this is just one more outstanding example."




--
--------------

Jacques :-)

www.spacepatches.info