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Astronaut Comes Through Loud and Clear Students Chat With Man on Space Station

Posted on: Tuesday, 15 March 2005, 21:00 CST

Fairview Elementary School students had a close encounter of the historic kind Thursday: a real-time chat with a NASA astronaut working in space.

Students spoke with astronaut Leroy Chiao as he crossed over the United States aboard the International Space Station, a scientific research vessel.

The conversation took place via a radio hookup provided by members of Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, an Indiana-based organization that designs and builds communication equipment for the space station.

All students at Fairview and the fifth-graders from Lions Park Elementary School packed into Fairview's gym Thursday to hear Chiao answer questions put to him by 12 students.

"It was awesome," Fairview Principal Kerry Swalwell said after the talk. "This was a historic event for us, and it went so much better than I ever expected."

Chiao's voice came through loud and clear over the radio speakers. When he signed off, the students - who all wore red, white or blue T-shirts that said "Reach for the Stars" - clapped and waved small American flags.

The students' questions addressed a wide range of subjects, from whether he can see constellations from his ship (the answer: yes, very clearly) to how he bathes in space (the astronauts take sponge baths).

When asked to reveal his most embarrassing moment in space, Chiao talked about the time he mistook a speck of dust for an approaching satellite.

"It's very dark in space, and you can't tell how far things are," Chiao said. "I saw what I thought was a satellite through the window, and it turned out to be dust particles three feet away."

Chiao also told students that he misses his wife, Karen, and his family and looks forward to seeing them in a few months. He said taking pictures of Earth has become a hobby of his.

"Every time I'm in space I realize how very beautiful our Earth is," he said. "Every part is beautiful in its own way."

Fifth-grader Emma Milliken was one of the students who got to speak with Chiao. Before Thursday's assembly, Milliken said she was excited about the opportunity.

"Talking to an astronaut is something not many kids get to do," she said.

Chiao, a qualified flight mission specialist who has logged more than 36 days in space, was the guest of honor at a special assembly at Fairview in May 2004. He spoke to students then about working hard and following their dreams.

Since joining the space station in October, Chiao has maintained regular contact with Fairview students and faculty, sending them e- mails and pictures.

Thursday's assembly was part of the third and fifth grades' study of space, a unit that includes an annual visit to the Challenger Learning Center in Woodstock.

Source: Daily Herald; Arlington Heights, Ill.

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