NASA and Japanses Space Agency Team To Inspire Students

Gretchen Cook-Anderson
Headquarters, Washington November 24, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-0836)

NOTE TO EDITORS: N03-127

NASA AND JAPANESE SPACE AGENCY TEAM TO INSPIRE STUDENTS

Japanese fifth-and sixth-grade students will have the
opportunity to have a dialogue with the Expedition 8 crew of
the International Space Station during an educational
television downlink Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. EST.

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), NASA and the
Nankai Broadcasting Corporation (RNB) in Matsuyama City,
Japan, will hold the program allowing approximately 500
students to participate. Students will have the opportunity to
ask the Expedition 8 crew about science and the Space Station.

The program, part of the Japan's National Ministry of
Education and Science, "Science Loving Plan," focuses on the
goal to inspire students' interest in science. The mottos of
the program, created to emphasize the importance and exciting
elements of science, are "dreams and hopes" and "courage and
vitality."

The International Space Station downlink is one in a series
with national and international educational organizations. The
series is an integral component of NASA's Teaching from Space
Program. The Teaching from Space Program enables educational
opportunities using the unique environment of human space
flight. The program builds partnerships with the education
community to create unique learning opportunities through the
use of NASA research and educational technology.

"NASA is grateful for the opportunity to engage young people
from around the world in educational opportunities such as the
International Space Station in-flight program," said Debbie
Brown Biggs, Acting Manager of NASA's Education Flight
Projects Office, NASA Headquarters, Washington. "Perhaps
through this kind of event, we can get young people thinking
about how science and technology transcend national borders.
It is our students of today who will lead the way in the
scientific endeavors of tomorrow," she said.

The downlink will be broadcast live on NASA TV and shown on
tape in Japan by RNB. NASA Television is available on AMC-9,
transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85 degrees west longitude.
The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical, and
audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz.

For more information about NASA, on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

For information about NASA Education programs on the Internet,
visit:

http://education.nasa.gov

For more information about JAXA on the Internet, visit:

http://www.jaxa.jp/index_e.html


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