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03-003
For Release: January 21, 2003

Sally V. Harrington
Media Relations Office
216/433-2037
Sally.V.Harrington{at}nasa.gov

NOTE TO EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

Local Students Interface in Real Time with Astronauts on Space Station
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Students from five local schools have the unique opportunity to talk 
with astronauts on the Space Station as they circle the Earth at a 
distance of 250 miles.

On Wednesday, January 22, 125 students will watch and listen, via NASA
Television, as members of the crew on the International Space Station 
answer questions posed by their classmates. This exciting event will 
take place in the Visitor Center at NASA's Glenn Research Center 
between 11:45 a.m. and 12:10 p.m.

Five students from each school-Caledonia in East Cleveland, Laurel 
School in Shaker Heights, Lee Burneson Middle School in Westlake, 
Memorial Jr. High School in South Euclid, and Warrensville Heights 
Middle School-will take turns asking the astronauts questions about 
their experiences of living and working in space.

The astronauts, referred to as the Expedition Six crew, are Commander
Kenneth Bowersox and Flight Engineers Donald Pettit and Nikolai 
Budarin. The live interaction with them is just part of the students' 
visit to Glenn.  Upon their arrival at 10:45 a.m., they will receive a 
welcome and an overview of the event. Following the question and 
answer session with the astronauts, a panel of Glenn experts will 
address any remaining questions.  The students also will participate 
in a scavenger hunt among the Visitor Center exhibit galleries.

Media representatives interested in covering this event should call 
Sally Harrington or the Media Relations Office at 216-433-2901 to be 
cleared through security.

NASA TV is broadcast on the GE2 satellite, Transponder 9C, at 85 
degrees West longitude, frequency 3880.0 MHz, audio 6.8 MHz.

The event will also be Webcast at
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/nasatv/index.html

For additional information about the International Space Station, go 
to http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

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