Pilots from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland, and students across southern Maryland will have an opportunity this week to hear from NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The space-to-Earth call will air live at 11:35 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 27, on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
NASA astronauts Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann, and Frank Rubio will answer prerecorded questions from aviators and local K-12 students. Cassada and Mann both attended U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, more than 90 graduates of which have gone on to become NASA astronauts. The downlink will bring together test pilots and students from across the region, who will join remotely through live watch parties and NASA and aviation-focused STEM activities.
Media interested in covering the event should contact Brittany Dickerson at: brittany.dickerson@navy.mil or 301-757-0322.
For more than 21 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts living in space aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through the Near Space Network Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS).
As part of Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to the Moon, to prepare for future human exploration of Mars. Inspiring the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation – ensures America will continue to lead in space exploration and discovery.
To find out which astronauts graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, visit:
