Texas Students To Speak With NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson

Students will ask questions for the biochemist, astronaut, and flight engineer to answer.

Texas Students To Speak With NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson

space.com / Via space.com

On Thursday, February 9 at 12:05 p.m. EST, students from Weslaco Independent school district in Weslaco, Texas will speak with Peggy Whitson, a NASA astronaut who is currently working at the International Space Station. This will air live on NASA television and online.

Whitson will answer the questions of students from third to fifth grade, as well as the Weslaco East High School Astronomy Club, which totals to over 800 students. This is a part of NASA's STEM teaching program in the United States. This program strives for authentic, live interaction with astronauts so students can hear first-hand accounts of space study and space travel.

Peggy Whitson- Overview of a Biochemist in Expedition 50/51

Peggy Whitson is currently one of three astronauts a part of Expedition 50/51. This is her third long-term tour of the International Space Station. She has accumulated 377 days in space between her missions, longer than any other woman on her.

Whitson received a doctorate in biochemistry from Rice University in 1985, and has worked at NASA since 1989, doing biocemical research, training as an astronaut, and serving as Chief of the Astronaut Corps. She has received dozens of awards for her work as a woman in science.

Expedition 50/51 Mission

Expedition 50/51 is studying how lighting can affect the health of crew members, how microgravity can affect the genes of spec-grown plants, and how microgravity changes human tissue regeneration.