On a Friday in Halifax, students at École Secondaire du Sommet were given a rare gift: ten minutes of conversation with a person orbiting the Earth at extraordinary speed. The astronaut, Joshua Kutryk, a former fighter pilot now serving on NASA's Crew 13, reached them through a volunteer-run amateur radio program that has long tried to turn wonder into a reason to study science. What the call will ultimately mean for these young people is not yet written, but for a few minutes, a distant orbit and a schoolroom were brought close together.
Halifax Students Quiz Canadian Astronaut Joshua Kutryk From the International Space Station
On a Friday in Halifax, students at École Secondaire du Sommet were given a rare gift: ten minutes of conversation with a person orbiting the Earth at extraordinary speed. The astronaut, Joshua Kutryk, a former fighter pilot now serving on NASA's Crew 13, reached them through a volunteer-run amateur radio program that has long tried to turn wonder into a reason to study science. What the call will ultimately mean for these young people is not yet written, but for a few minutes, a distant orbit and a schoolroom were brought close together.
On Friday, students at École Secondaire du Sommet in Halifax had ten minutes to speak with an astronaut travelling overhead aboard the International Space Station. The astronaut was Joshua Kutryk, a former CF-18 fighter pilot now serving a six-month mission as part of NASA's four-person Crew 13. The connection was made through ARISS, an international volunteer-run program that lets students talk with astronauts over ham radio, with the goal of inspiring interest in science, technology, engineering and math.
Student Marie Gooding said the experience was something she never expected to see in her lifetime. The answer she remembered most was Kutryk's description of space as smelling like iron or metal. The call also pushed her toward the sciences, and she now thinks about becoming a doctor, while still wanting to learn more about how space works and the planets around us.
Classmate Christopher Succar was inspired to consider a career at a space agency, perhaps as a scientist at NASA or a similar organization. Science teacher Karen Scarcella hoped the exchange would show students that science extends well beyond the textbook and into the world they can see around them.
The reporting describes no follow-up programs, so the lasting effect on student interest in science remains to be seen. For now, the students carry a ten-minute conversation and a memorable detail about the smell of space.
On Friday, students at École Secondaire du Sommet in Halifax had ten minutes to talk with an astronaut. He was Canadian, and he was traveling overhead aboard the International Space Station at 25 times the speed of sound.
The astronaut was Joshua Kutryk, a former CF-18 fighter pilot who is now serving as a mission specialist on a six-month mission. He is part of NASA's four-person Crew 13. The call gave the students a short window to connect with the crew before the station moved on.
The link was made possible by ARISS, short for Amateur Radio on the International Space Station. The program is run internationally by volunteers and lets students speak directly with astronauts in orbit over ham radio. Its stated aim is to inspire young people to explore science, technology, engineering and math, partly through hands-on radio projects.
For student Marie Gooding, the experience was hard to believe. She said it was not something she had ever expected to see in her lifetime. The answer that stayed with her most was the reply to a question about how space smells. As she remembered it, Kutryk said it smelled like iron or metal, which she had not expected.
The call also nudged her toward a career. Gooding said it pushed her to pursue the sciences and made her want to become a doctor. She may not end up working in the space field, she said, but she wants to learn much more about how space works and about the planets around us.
Christopher Succar, another student, took a different direction from the same conversation. He said it inspired him to consider joining a space agency, though not as someone going into space. He pictured himself working as a scientist at NASA or a similar organization.
Science teacher Karen Scarcella described what she hoped the exchange would do for her students. Science, she said, is not confined to the classroom or to what they learn from a textbook. It is bigger than that, and she wanted to see whether they could begin connecting what they learn in class with what they see in the real world.
The reporting does not describe any follow-up programs at the school, so whether the call produces a lasting rise in interest in science and technology is still to be seen. For now, the students have a ten-minute conversation, and a detail about the smell of space, to carry with them.
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei Global News ↗