NASA picks Alamogordo for Space Station downlink

ALAMOGORDO — Local students are getting a once in a lifetime opportunity to talk with astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on Feb. 21. 

Facilitated by NASA's Johnson Space Center Office of Education, an in-flight downlink offers students a first-hand insight into what it's like to live and work in space from astronauts.

NASA selected the New Mexico Museum of Space History, in conjunction with the Alamogordo Public Schools and the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, as one of 14 groups nationwide to host a downlink from the ISS. This is the first time a K-12 school in New Mexico has been chosen for an in-flight downlink program.

“This is a unique opportunity for students in our area and we are very proud that the museum and our local schools are able to lead the way for our state,” said Museum Executive Director Christopher Orwoll. “Talking with astronauts onboard a spacecraft was once reserved for an astronaut on the ground, the Capsule Communicator or CAPCOM. Now, through NASA’s ISS Downlink program, our students get to ask questions of the crew and see them living and working in space.”

The Alamogordo Downlink project consists of students from Alamogordo High School, Academy Del Sol, Chaparral Middle School, Mountain View Middle School, Holloman Middle School and the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. There will be a total of six teams, one from each school. Team members were chosen by each school’s principal and science teachers.

“It is so exciting for APS to be the first K-12 school district in the state to be part of this wonderful endeavor," said Superintendent Adrianne Salas. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our students to interact with astronauts onboard the International Space Station – something that we hope inspires them for a lifetime. We want to thank the Education Department at the New Mexico Museum of Space History for bringing this program to us, especially Dave Dooling and the museum staff."

During a 20-minute window, spokesmen from each team will take turns asking questions of Astronaut Joe Acaba – a former high school science teacher – Scott Tingle and Mark Vande Hei.

NASA requires that each downlink proposal include an education and outreach component to give students background for their questions. When submitting his plan to NASA, Museum of Space History Education Director Dave Dooling proposed something a little different – a challenge that would have student teams designing and building a small payload based around the effect of zero G on fluids. His proposal to NASA was accepted in May and Dooling has been coordinating with the schools since then.

“We developed design guidelines for a package about the same size as an experiment drawer on a space station experiment rack,” Dooling said. “We provided base plates built from pegboard and a frame of PVC tubing, and told them to be imaginative with things like water bottles, cameras, even seltzer tablets. And we are providing guidance as the students design and test their payloads.”

Local pilot Mike Haymes donated his time and aircraft to take the experiments aloft, where Dooling will use free fall as a laboratory to carry out the team experiments. The test flights took place in late January and early February. The students will analyze the results and present their findings as part of the Alamogordo Downlink event.

The Alamogordo Downlink project will be held at Alamogordo High School’s Tiger Pit on Feb. 21 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. More than 1,200 students are expected to assemble to watch. Seating there will be reserved for students and teachers only.

Parents and the general public are invited to the Flickinger Center, 1110 N. New York Ave., to watch the Downlink project live via NASA’s website. A museum educator will be onsite to talk about the project. The viewing is free to parents and the public. Seating will be on a first come, first served basis.

For more information, call the New Mexico Museum of Space History at 437-2840 or 877-333-6589 or visit their website at nmspacemuseum.org.