May 8 2017

From The Space Library

MEDIA ADVISORY M17-050 MIT to Participate in Live Q&A with International Space Station

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) students will participate in a live question-and-answer session with an alumnus astronaut aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday, May 10. NASA astronaut Jack Fischer, who received his master’s in aerospace engineering from MIT in 1998, will take questions from the students via video at 12:40 p.m. EDT. The session will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Fischer is a part of the Expedition 51/52 crew that launched to the International Space Station in April.

The session is sponsored by the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. MIT alumni have been represented in the astronaut ranks since the earliest days of the space program. Four of the astronauts who walked on the moon held degrees from MIT. The video call offers a real-time opportunity for aspiring young aerospace engineers to pose questions about living, working and researching in space to an alumnus who is doing just that.

Linking students 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). This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of NASA Education’s STEM on Station activity, which provides a variety of space station-related resources and opportunities to students and educators.