Tech to host NASA downlink
Jenda Wilson
Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: News
Tech will host NASA's Inflight Education Downlink for the STS-129 space shuttle mission. The downlink, scheduled for 10:53 next Sunday, will allow the Soaring Eagle Question Contest winners to ask International Space Station astronauts their winning questions.
Those invited to attend will view it in the Nursing and Health Services Building Auditorium. Clement Hall Room 212 will be open to all others and will show a broadcast of the NASA and NHS Building feeds.
"The NASA Education downlink event is a great opportunity, perhaps even a once-in-a-lifetime chance, for students to engage in direct dialog with NASA astronauts," said Sally Pardue, associate professor of mechanical engineering and interim director of the Millard Oakley Center for Teaching and Learning in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. "We will be celebrating the value of 'asking questions' as a way of knowing more about what science, technology, engineering, and mathematics can mean to each of us as we reach for our dreams."
Students will be divided into four age groups: kindergarten to fourth grade, fifth to eighth grade, ninth to twelfth grade and college.
A judging team comprised of students and faculty from Tech blindly selected 120 questions-30 questions from each age group-and ranked them.
The top five questions in each age group were sent to NASA for review. The top 20 students-five from the four age groups-will sit on stage and directly ask the astronauts their questions.
Astronauts Leland Melvin, Nicole Stott and Tech alumnus Barry Wilmore will be participating in the downlink from the ISS.
Although participants and audience members will be able to see and hear the crewmembers from space, the crew will not be able to see them.
Several VIPs were invited to attend the event. As of Nov. 9, Rep. Bart Gordon, Charlotte Gentry-niece of Charlie Hobaugh, STS-129 commander-and several of Wilmore's family members had confirmed their attendance.
Those invited to attend will view it in the Nursing and Health Services Building Auditorium. Clement Hall Room 212 will be open to all others and will show a broadcast of the NASA and NHS Building feeds.
"The NASA Education downlink event is a great opportunity, perhaps even a once-in-a-lifetime chance, for students to engage in direct dialog with NASA astronauts," said Sally Pardue, associate professor of mechanical engineering and interim director of the Millard Oakley Center for Teaching and Learning in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. "We will be celebrating the value of 'asking questions' as a way of knowing more about what science, technology, engineering, and mathematics can mean to each of us as we reach for our dreams."
Students will be divided into four age groups: kindergarten to fourth grade, fifth to eighth grade, ninth to twelfth grade and college.
A judging team comprised of students and faculty from Tech blindly selected 120 questions-30 questions from each age group-and ranked them.
The top five questions in each age group were sent to NASA for review. The top 20 students-five from the four age groups-will sit on stage and directly ask the astronauts their questions.
Astronauts Leland Melvin, Nicole Stott and Tech alumnus Barry Wilmore will be participating in the downlink from the ISS.
Although participants and audience members will be able to see and hear the crewmembers from space, the crew will not be able to see them.
Several VIPs were invited to attend the event. As of Nov. 9, Rep. Bart Gordon, Charlotte Gentry-niece of Charlie Hobaugh, STS-129 commander-and several of Wilmore's family members had confirmed their attendance.
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