Edwards to Mission Control

Published March 14, 2006
By Airman 1st Class Julius Delos Reyes
95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- NASA Dryden Flight Research Center teamed with Edwards, March 2, to provide local students the opportunity to experience an ‘out-of-this-world’ interaction with two astronauts.

Students from Edwards Middle and Branch Elementary schools here and Gifford C. Middle School, in Lancaster, Calif., gathered in the base theater for a chance to “connect” with the on-board crew of the International Space Station.

Students were given the opportunity to speak with retired Army Col. Bill McArthur, Jr., NASA astronaut and Expedition 12 commander, and Russian air force Col. Valery Tokarev, cosmonaut and flight engineer, as part of the NASA Explorer School program.

“The reason we do this kind of program is to inspire kids,” said Michelle Davis, NASA pre-college officer and the NASA Explorer School program manager. “Creating an event like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these kids. We want them to realize that the space crew members were all once sixth and seventh graders too, and they probably never imagined that they would go into space. We want the children to know that these dreams are real.”

Edwards, Branch and Cole schools are on their third year as members of the NASA Explorer School program.

The downlink was made possible through satellite communication, said Beth Hagenauer, NASA Dryden public affairs.

The video was shown on NASA television’s education channel allowing the audience in the theater to see the space crew. The audio was transmitted from the ISS, orbiting 220 miles above Earth, to the ground and was received at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The students heard the audio via a telephone line from Johnson Space Center.

Edwards opened the theater for NASA use, Ms. Hagenauer said. The 95th Communications Group here worked closely with NASA Dryden TV to ensure all communication requirements were met, enabling the downlink to take place and run smoothly.

“The NASA downlink is a great opportunity for the students,” said Jay Blank, Edwards Middle School science teacher. “It is fascinating to see science in action. It is nice to see the things we read in books come to life.”

The students interacted with the space crew asking questions regarding space life and earth science, with concentrations on earthquakes and geography. They also asked about the activities the space crew performs while on station and what space experiments they are currently researching.

“I asked what kind of experiments they conduct in space to help us with earthquakes down here,” said Alyson Santa, Cole Middle School student and one of the select students who asked questions to the space crew. “Last year, we learned about the San Andreas Fault and that was when we formulated our questions.”

After talking with the space crew, students performed activities simulating the life in space such as the space crew’s how-tos on sleeping, and food preparation and storage. They also had the opportunity to view exhibits such as space rockets, ISS scale models and a space suit.

“The downlink was pretty amazing and very interesting,” said Andrew Orme, Edwards Middle School student. “It was neat to talk to the astronauts from space. The most interesting part for me is when we first connected to the space crew and they showed us the inside of the space station. We learned a lot.”

The students’ experience was part of the NASA Explorers School, Ms. Davis said. Every year NASA selects 50 middle schools from around the country.

Through the program, NASA provides enrichment for the students’ curriculum and professional development for the teachers, she said. It is part of NASA’s pipeline of developing educational programs not only for the middle schools, but also for high school and university students.

“This has been a tremendous three years for Edwards Middle School as a member of the NASA Explorer School Program,” Mr. Blank said. “We certainly hope that we continue to be involved with NASA because this is a great educational opportunity. We are looking forward to more learning experiences for our students.”