National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Astronauts orbiting Earth on the International Space Station (ISS) answered questions from William S. Hart Union High School District students in a call Tuesday.
NASA astronauts on the ISS spoke to Hart District students at La Mesa Junior High School on Tuesday through a live video feed, answering pre-recorded questions from students.
“We have such wonderful dignitaries here today, thank you for coming,” said Hart District Superintendent Mike Kuhlman. “But I think even our dignitaries will recognize that the true stars here today are the students who have the opportunity to speak to the space station.”
Flight engineers Thomas Pesquet and Megan McArthur answered questions from 17 students about the challenges they face and what they expect regarding future developments from various schools throughout the Hart District.
The students whose questions were selected were joined by local officials in watching the livestream from the space station.
When asked about the traits an astronaut should have by Ffion from Canyon High School, Pesquet emphasized the importance of getting along with others.
“You know, you have to be a team player,” Pesquet said. “You’re not going to choose the people you’re going to space with because that’s how it is. We have to be able to work with a lot of different people.”
Xochilth from Rio Norte Junior High asked about issues the crew has faced at the space station.
“It’s not always easy,” Pesquet said. “So sometimes there’s problems. It’s part of the journey, it’s part of what we’re trying to overcome up here… We’ve found lots of small problems, we haven’t had a real big problem.”
NASA scientists have been working on growing food in space that is safe for consumption, and Kayla from Castaic High School asked the astronauts about whether future researchers would be able to prepare their own meals on the ISS at some point in the future, instead of eating prepackaged food.
McArthur said that astronauts are making progress in growing more complex plants, but that the plants needed more resources to grow and grow slower in space compared to on the ground.
“In successfully growing these more complicated plants, we’re learning more about how to do this for the future,” McArthur explained. “So I think in the future, people will be able to use more fresh foods to supplement the food that they eat in space. But we’re probably a long way from being able to completely prepare our foods from scratch in space.”
Local officials, including Santa Clarita Mayor Bill Miranda and Congressman Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, spoke during the event, stressing the importance of creating connections between students and NASA staff who could help guide them to their future career paths.
“You sit here, you see things like this or you’re involved in things like this, and then you dream,” Miranda said. “And then when you dream, you reach for your heart and you go to your heart’s content, your passion.”
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