Middle School Students Connect With Astronaut

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Some middle school students in St. Paul will have a unique opportunity to connect with an astronaut in space on Monday.

Students at Farnsworth Aerospace Magnet will have a live conversation with American astronaut Don Pettit who's on board the International Space Station. Students in grades six through eight will talk to Pettit through a HAM radio connection. The students have been studying and researching the space station, as well as learning about the astronauts on board.

The opportunity was offered by NASA and facilitated through the Polk County, Wis., HAM radio club, which offered use of its equipment. Members of the radio club have set up antennas and will be on hand Monday for the live chat.

The school emphasizes science, technology, engineering, aerospace and mathematics at its two St. Paul campuses.

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