Questioners Are Participants In Agency's 'Summer Of Innovation' Program

Space shuttle astronauts aboard the International Space Station will answer videotaped questions from middle school students participating in NASA's Summer of Innovation initiative. Early Sunday morning, Atlantis Commander Chris Ferguson and Pilot Doug Hurley will respond to questions from approximately 20 student questions selected from nearly 150 videos.

The Summer of Innovation program seeks to advance excellence in summer and extended learning programming for underrepresented and underserved middle school students while inspiring them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The initiative also is tied closely to the White House's "Educate to Innovate" campaign.

"Learning about scientific principles and the impact of space on astronauts' bodies helps spark student curiosity," said Cindy McArthur, Teaching From Space project manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Microgravity is a unique research environment and hearing directly from astronauts who live and work in it can inspire students to study STEM disciplines."

The question-and-answer session is part of a series with educational organizations in the United States and abroad to improve teaching and learning in STEM subjects. It is an integral component of Teaching From Space, an agency program promoting learning opportunities, and builds partnerships with the education community. It can be seen live at 0709 EDT Sunday on NASA television.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/shuttle