More than 100 fourth and fifth-grade students crowded into the gymnasium of Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School, eyes glued to a projector screen showing two astronauts floating. It was Jessica Meir, who grew up in Caribou, and fellow astronaut Christopher Williams.Before it could all begin, NASA’s Mission Control had to connect them. The entire interaction was played aloud for students.”Station, this is Huston. Are you ready for the event?” an operator said.”This is station, we’re ready for the event,” Meir responded.The event was organized by the Challenger Learning Center of Maine, located in Bangor.Typically, students will go to the center for a field trip and learn more about NASA and get hands-on STEM activities. With Meir now taking her second journey into space, the center wanted to do something special.Students got to ask Meir and Williams questions like, “How long is a day in space?” Or, “Why do you do tests on plants in space?”Cutler, a fifth-grade student, asked Meir, “What is your favorite place to see on Earth from the International Space Station?” “I had no idea until I saw from space that there were so many different types and textures of sand dunes, especially in places like Africa and the Middle East. But, I have to say for you guys especially, my absolute favorite place to see from up here is the state of Maine,” Meir said.The entire Q and A went on for about 20 minutes. Meir and Williams took turns responding to questions.”It’s kind of awesome that somebody from Maine is in space,” Cutler said. Maria Palopoli is a teacher at Beecher Stowe Elementary School and has been working with the Challenger Learning Center of Maine for years to bring STEM learning into the classroom. “I think it’s really important for kids to understand how to make good decisions, how to think critically. And science is a is a big part of that,” Palopoli said.It’s been several years since the Challenger Learning Center of Maine has been able to do a live video call with astronauts in space, but Palopoli says that having an astronaut from Maine made it an extra important lesson.”We’ve got Jessica Meir who was born in Caribou, a small town, really small town. Here she is living on the space station,” Palopoli said. “And for our kids growing up in Maine, I think it’s a great role model to go, ‘Wow. It doesn’t matter where you live, where you come from, you can do big things.'”
More than 100 fourth and fifth-grade students crowded into the gymnasium of Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School, eyes glued to a projector screen showing two astronauts floating. It was Jessica Meir, who grew up in Caribou, and fellow astronaut Christopher Williams.
Before it could all begin, NASA’s Mission Control had to connect them. The entire interaction was played aloud for students.
“Station, this is Huston. Are you ready for the event?” an operator said.
“This is station, we’re ready for the event,” Meir responded.
The event was organized by the Challenger Learning Center of Maine, located in Bangor.
Typically, students will go to the center for a field trip and learn more about NASA and get hands-on STEM activities. With Meir now taking her second journey into space, the center wanted to do something special.
Students got to ask Meir and Williams questions like, “How long is a day in space?” Or, “Why do you do tests on plants in space?”
Cutler, a fifth-grade student, asked Meir, “What is your favorite place to see on Earth from the International Space Station?”
“I had no idea until I saw from space that there were so many different types and textures of sand dunes, especially in places like Africa and the Middle East. But, I have to say for you guys especially, my absolute favorite place to see from up here is the state of Maine,” Meir said.
The entire Q and A went on for about 20 minutes. Meir and Williams took turns responding to questions.
“It’s kind of awesome that somebody from Maine is in space,” Cutler said.
Maria Palopoli is a teacher at Beecher Stowe Elementary School and has been working with the Challenger Learning Center of Maine for years to bring STEM learning into the classroom.
“I think it’s really important for kids to understand how to make good decisions, how to think critically. And science is a is a big part of that,” Palopoli said.
It’s been several years since the Challenger Learning Center of Maine has been able to do a live video call with astronauts in space, but Palopoli says that having an astronaut from Maine made it an extra important lesson.
“We’ve got Jessica Meir who was born in Caribou, a small town, really small town. Here she is living on the space station,” Palopoli said. “And for our kids growing up in Maine, I think it’s a great role model to go, ‘Wow. It doesn’t matter where you live, where you come from, you can do big things.'”