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MAST Academy students to interact with International Space Station

MIAMI — Students from the Maritime and Science Technology (MAST) Academy will have a rare opportunity to pose questions Thursday to an astronaut in orbit aboard the International Space Station.

The students will watch a live video connection with the ISS as Mission Commander Dan Burbank answers their questions from 11:15-11:35 a.m.

The initiative, which is spearheaded by faculty members at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., is designed to boost the awareness of and to encourage interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Expedition 30 is currently underway aboard the ISS with Burbank, a retired Coast Guard captain. Burbank and most of his crew have been living and working on the station since Nov. 16.

Students competed for a chance to pose their questions to Commander Burbank, with teachers selecting which questions would be asked. The questions run the gamut from routine to complex. One student wants to know if the ISS is involved in the study of ice in the mesosphere research and if this research will help control climate change.

Media interested in attending the event are requested to contact the 7th Coast Guard District public affairs staff at 305-415-6683.

WHO: MAST Academy students (9th-12th grade, 120 participants)

WHERE: 3979 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149

WHAT: Q&A with International Space Station Mission Commander Dan Burbank

WHEN: Thursday, 11 a.m.

For background information on the program, contact Lt. Cmdr. Jess Rozzi-Ochs at 610-207-6453.

To watch Burbank answer students' questions, tune in to NASA TV or view the live video feed at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html Thursday at 11:15 a.m.

To learn more about Expedition 30 aboard the International Space Station, please visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition30/index.html

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