KIDS, ASTRONAUT CHAT
‘How do you do laundry?’ Pupils ask about life aboard Space Station
“It’s a really big opportunity ... to actually talk with an astronaut in space.” Christopher Andersson, 7
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station captivated a group of Palm Beach County students on Monday — talking with them live via ham radio.
Christopher Andersson, 7, of Boca Raton, was nervous as the static from the ham radio crackled.
He was among 11 students who participated Monday at the South Florida Science Center in West Palm Beach, communicating with Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli.
Christopher asked the astronaut what his most unexpected science experiment discovery had been. Nespoli recalled how one of the experiments in particular surprised him, where a flame kept burning at a low temperature.
Among the other questions from students:
How does it feel to move in zero
gravity? Nespoli replied it makes him feel like he can move like Spider-Man.
How do astronauts do their laundry? He said they don’t, but they change clothes when they can’t take them anymore. (That made the crowd of parents and students laugh.)
Monday’s event was aimed at promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.
The students who spoke to the astronaut, ranging in age from 7 to 12, were selected from among more than 100 across the county. They were picked after writing an essay on what one question they would ask and were judged on their writing, creativity and enthusiasm.
They had only eight minutes to ask their questions before the space station, which goes about 17,600 mph, moved out of the radio’s range.
Tension had mounted at the start of Monday’s event.
Jim Nagle, president of the West Palm Beach Amateur Radio Group, gave his call sign over the radio trying to reach the space station. Nothing but static. He tried again. Same thing.
On the third try, as the students leaned forward from their seats, the astronaut’s voice broke through the static.
Christopher, a secondgrader at St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, performs his own experiments at home with his dad, Leif Andersson.
“It’s great. Like every parent, we’re trying to support our child in terms of direction and looking toward the future,” Andersson said. “He’s not one for following directions. He likes to experiment.”
Christopher said he was nervous, but excited about the opportunity to talk with Nespoli. “It’s a really big opportunity for my school and me, to actually talk with an astronaut in space.”
Nagle said he hopes that having the kids talk with astronauts can help students see them as everyday people.
“Basically, they’re just one of us,” Nagle said. “So we’re actually making it a little more personal.”
Nicholas Cruz, a secondgrader at Calusa Elementary in Boca Raton, said it felt amazing to talk with a real astronaut.
He had asked which inspace experiment best helped us live better on Earth. He had a hard time hearing the astronaut’s answer through the static. Still, he had an amazing time, he said.
The event coincided with “Astronauts,” the science center’s 5,000square-foot exhibit that opened two weeks ago.
Kate Arrizza, chief operating officer at the science center, said the exhibit gives visitors a chance to see what life is like on the International Space Station and a chance to see if you can make it up there.
“It’s a full body experience. You get to go into a G-force simulator and you get to see how fast you can go and if your stomach can handle it,” she said.
The exhibit runs until April with a general admission of $16.95 for adults, $12.95 for kids, and it’s free for those under age 3.