Midvale kids talk to U.S. astronaut Williams in space

MIDVALE — How do you take a shower in space? And just what do you eat when you're a million miles from home? Those were just some of the 20 questions students at Midvalley Elementary School were able to pose directly to American astronaut Col. Jeff Williams, 51, on Wednesday.

Williams said astronauts take sponge baths and eat dehydrated food. For fun, they do "astronaut tricks" in the weightless atmosphere, such as playing with water bubbles.

The elementary school in Midvale linked via amateur (ham) radio to the International Space Station to chat live for 10 minutes with Williams. He is serving as commander while Russian cosmonaut Max Suraev works as flight engineer. The space station, a research lab under construction, is in orbit and circling the earth every 90 minutes. It went over the Pacific Ocean, then over Utah and headed for the Great Lakes during the communication time.

"This is a prime experience for our students to inspire them in math, science and engineering," said Midvalley Principal Carla Burningham, a licensed ham-radio operator.

The school is the first in Utah to have direct communication with the space station. Other schools, including Wendover High School last January, have done a telebridge where school administrators linked to the station via phone to an amateur radio that communicated with the astronauts.

The Midvalley event was the 514th school contact with the space station, according to school officials.

School administrators applied two years ago to participate in the "Amateur Radio on the International Space Station," or ARISS program, which enables students to speak to astronauts at the space station. "How often do you get to talk to an astronaut who is actually up in space? How awesome is that?" said Midvalley sixth-grade teacher David Bettinson. He is a licensed ham-radio operator and oversaw the school's space station communication project.

Williams told the students he was inspired by Neil Armstrong and other early astronauts. Williams detailed his education background, which included time in a military academy and graduate school. His daily schedule includes waking at 6 a.m., making space station repairs and doing experiments, exercising for two and a half hours and sleep at 10 p.m.

The astronauts' main goal is to finish construction of the space station. It will eventually be a research lab where many nations work together for potential scientific discoveries.

Williams said he brought photos of his family to help keep him from getting homesick. The astronauts can get e-mail and even call home. He is scheduled to return to Earth in March.

Are the astronauts scared? asked a student. "If I was scared, I would be in the wrong business, doing the wrong thing," Williams said.

Some students said they would like to be an astronaut and experience gravity. "It would be fun to float around and stuff," said Lexie Sharp, 11.

Go to www.ustream.tv/recorded/2693694 to view the school's video of the event.

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