NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

What better way to learn about weather and space than from astronauts in orbit? Students at Phelps High School in Phelps, Ky., had the chance to do just that last month. They were linked by video and audio with Leroy Chiao and Salizhan Sharipov on the International Space Station.

Image to left: Astronaut Leroy Chiao, left, and Cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov talked to students from their home in space. Credit: NASA

The astronauts answered questions from seventh-graders about weather and space. One student asked how solar wind affects the ISS. Another student asked how astronauts help predict Earth's weather. Chiao and Sharipov did back flips before signing off. These are easy to do in space.

More than 1,000 students gathered at Phelps to watch. The students could see and hear the astronauts on a TV set up in the school gym. The event was shown live on NASA TV and Kentucky Educational Television.

To prepare for the big day, the Phelps seventh-graders were visited by a local TV weather forecaster. He talked to them about weather and space. And he helped them come up with questions to ask the astronauts. Students also did their own research using various NASA education resources.

Image to right: Bill Meck and Sue Ellis help students get ready to talk to the Expedition 10 crew. Credit: NASA

If you'd like your school or organization to host an event like this, tell your teacher or leader to e-mail nseo@ems.jsc.nasa.gov for more information.

You can also share in the amazing view of Earth that astronauts have from space. More than 145,000 photographs have been taken from the windows of the ISS. These and other pictures from space can be seen at: http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop

Students can even take their own pictures of Earth from space. EarthKAM is a digital camera that looks out the window of the ISS. Students control the camera using the Internet. They decide what pictures it takes and then use the pictures for classroom and science projects. For more details, please visit: http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu


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Dan Stillman, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies