WASHINGTON, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Students from Brooklyn, New York, will have the opportunity to talk with astronauts on the International Space Station this week as part of NASA’s Year of Education on Station. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

NASA Expedition 56 astronauts Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel will connect with the Brooklyn students at 9:25 a.m. EDT Thursday, June 21. They’ll answer questions about life aboard the space station, NASA’s deep space exploration plans and conducting science in space.

The Dag Hammarskjold School, or Public School 254, serves nearly 800 students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Media interested in attending should contact Miranda Barbot at mbarbot2@schools.nyc.gov or 212-374-5141. The event will take place at PS 254, The Dag Hammarskjold School, 1801 Ave. Y, Brooklyn.

Linking teachers directly to astronauts aboard the space station provides unique, authentic experiences designed to enhance student learning, performance and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). These in-flight education downlinks are an integral component of NASA’s Year of Education on Station, which provides extensive space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators. Astronauts living in space on the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center on Earth 24 hours a day through the Space Network’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS).

In addition to the student event, all six space station crew members will gather to recognize the 50th anniversary of the U.N. Conference on Exploration and the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, June 20. The astronauts will connect with participants at an anniversary event on Earth in Vienna, Austria. The interactive portion of the event will air live on NASA TV and the agency’s website.

Follow the astronauts on social media at:

https://www.twitter.com/NASA_astronauts/

See videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station at:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation/

SOURCE NASA