Astronaut Mainers Answered Maine Students’ Questions From Space

There was a very special opportunity for Maine students in their home classrooms yesterday. This has got to be the most socially distant learning experience we've seen yet.

Two astronauts who are currently isolated way out there on the International Space Station while kids are isolated at home back here on Earth in the Great State of Maine, had an awesome question and answer event yesterday.

It was especially cool because the two astronauts who graciously shared part of their busy day of outer space assignments with local students, are Mainers themselves.

Dr. Jessica Meir is from Caribou and Captain Chris Cassidy is from York. They shared a microphone as they floated in front of the Maine State Flag from the ISS.

Here's more from the NASA YouTube channel description to give us more background on these two amazing Mainers.

"Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 62 Flight Engineers Jessica Meir and Chris Cassidy of NASA, both natives of Maine, answered questions submitted by students from schools in Maine during an in-flight educational event April 13. Meir is completing a six-and-a-half month mission on the orbital outpost, heading for a landing in Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz spacecraft April 17. Cassidy arrived on the station April 9 to begin a six-and-a-half month sojourn."

The video begins with an introduction from Bill Buckley President of Challenger Learning Center of Maine in association with the Maine Space Grant Consortium, tells "Chris and Jessica, we have students from across the state ready to hear your responses  to their questions."

Some great things the kids asked...

"Do constellations look different in space?"

 

"Did growing up in Maine, and the experiences you had in Maine, help with your training or in space?

And of course,

"What do you do with your dirty laundry?"

You can watch the whole historic event with your kids right here.