December 16, 2003

An audience of pre-kindergarten through high-school students and teachers in North Carolina and Ohio will converse with the International Space Station Expedition 8 crew during a NASA educational downlink tomorrow from 9:40 to 10 a.m. EST.

The downlink is a component of an interdisciplinary, collaborative-inquiry project, Partners in Flight, developed by Distance Learning Systems and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The event also is part of a day themed "Wright Around the World," in recognition of the Centennial of Flight, a national celebration commemorating the first successful, powered flight by the Wright brothers, December 17, 1903.

"Descendents of the Wright Flyer have flown all around the world during the first tremendous 100 years of flight," noted NASA's Associate Administrator for Education Dr. Adena Williams Loston. "We will continue our mission to inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Innovations in flight will continue in the next 100 years and extend our exploration to uncharted areas of the universe," she said.

Thousands of students and teachers in N.C. and Ohio will view the downlink. The event will be followed by a discussion among students and a panel of science and mathematics experts. The Partners in Flight project has particularly encouraged participation in the downlink from students in groups traditionally under-represented in science and mathematics fields.

Partners in Flight is a semester-long activity that invites students and teachers in N.C. and Ohio to explore the unique contributions the two states made in the Wright brothers' first successful powered flight. The downlink is the culmination of the project, demonstrating directly to students the impact of human flight and allowing them to envision the potential of human space flight during the next 100 years.

The downlink event, one in a series with educational organizations in the United States and abroad, is an integral component of NASA's Teaching from Space Program. The program promotes educational opportunities using the unique environment of human space flight. The program builds partnerships with the education community to create unique learning opportunities through the use of NASA research and educational technology.

NASA TV will broadcast the downlink live. NASA TV is available on AMC-9, transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85 degrees west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz.

For information about NASA on the Internet, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov

For information about the Partners in Flight program on the Internet, visit:
http://video.dpi.state.nc.us/eforums/partners/index.htm

For information about Centennial of Flight events on the Internet, visit:
http://www.centennialofflight.gov

For information about NASA education programs on the Internet, visit:
http://education.nasa.gov

Contact:

Gretchen Cook-Anderson Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-0836)

Priscilla Maynor
Department of Public Instruction
Raleigh, N.C.
(Phone: 919/807-3434)