Curious Fort Worth students get the chance to call astronauts in space

FORT WORTH, Texas - Students in Fort Worth will make a call to space to talk with the astronauts on the International Space Station Thursday morning. It’s the highlight of Space Week.

The students at Fort Worth Academy have been preparing for the call all week. They’ve watched videos and participated in activities to learn about living in space – everything from eating to sleeping in space.

“It’s very exciting. Our kids have been working on developing questions all year. And the top things that they want to know, they’re actually going to get the chance to ask astronauts in space today during our live video call,” said Lauren Parker, a teacher who is heavily involved with NASA’s space education efforts.

The students will have 20 minutes to talk to the members of the Expedition 61 crew, who have been living, working and conducting research on the ISS.

Seventh-grader Michael Massingill said he planned to ask them what challenges they’ve faced on the ISS and how they overcame them.

“My question is how do your previous leadership qualities help prepare you for your stay in space,” said Ella Spanier, an eighth-grader.

The students are also interested in learning things like what the astronauts do if someone gets sick or injured and what happens if they spill water.

“We have a lot of questions and we’re very excited to get some answers,” Spanier said.

After the call, several students who have research experiments onboard the ISS presented the results of their research to a panel of scientists and community leaders.