OUT OF THIS WORLD A.V. STUDENTS HOOK UP WITH ORBITING ASTRONAUTS.

Byline: Daily News

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - NASA Dryden Flight Research Center teamed with Edwards Air Force Base to let local students experience an ``out-of-this-world'' interaction with two astronauts.

Students from Edwards Middle and Branch Elementary schools on the base and Gifford C. Middle School in Lancaster gathered in the base theater last week to speak with the orbiting crew of the International Space Station.

``The reason we do this kind of program is to inspire kids,'' said Michelle Davis, NASA precollege officer and the NASA Explorer School program manager. ``Creating an event like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these kids. We want them to realize that the space crew members were all once sixth- and seventh graders too, and they probably never imagined that they would go into space. We want the children to know that these dreams are real.''

Edwards, Branch and Cole schools are in their third year as members of the NASA Explorer School program.

The downlink was made possible through satellite communication, said Beth Hagenauer of NASA Dryden public affairs.

Video of the space crew was shown on NASA television's education channel. The audio was transmitted from the space station to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The students heard the audio via a telephone line from Johnson Space Center.

Students spoke with retired Army Col. Bill McArthur Jr., NASA astronaut and Expedition 12 commander, and Russian Air Force Col. Valery Tokarev, cosmonaut and flight engineer.

``The NASA downlink is a great opportunity for the students,'' said Jay Blank, Edwards Middle School science teacher. ``It is fascinating to see science in action. It is nice to see the things we read in books come to life.''

The youngsters asked questions about space life and earth science, particularly earthquakes and geography. They also asked about the activities the space crew performs while on the station and what space experiments it is currently researching.

``I asked what kind of experiments they conduct in space to help us with earthquakes down here,'' said Cole student Alyson Santa. ``Last year, we learned about the San Andreas Fault and that was when we formulated our questions.''

Prior to the question-and-answer session, Davis showed students videos about NASA's mission, vision and a brief history. The students also learned about space exploration and recent technological advances to the space program.

Davis explained the mechanics of rocket launches, principles regarding the space station's orbit around the Earth and how it stays in orbit.

``The downlink was pretty amazing and very interesting,'' said Andrew Orme, Edwards Middle School student. ``It was neat to talk to the astronauts from space. The most interesting part for me is when we first connected to the space crew and they showed us the inside of the space station. We learned a lot.''

NASA Explorers Schools are selected from around the United States. NASA provides extras for the students' curriculum and training for teachers.

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Students watch NASA mission control workers on a screen in the theater at Edwards Air Force Base before connecting with the orbiting crew aboard the International Space Station.

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