WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Students in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, will have the opportunity to speak with a NASA astronaut currently living and working aboard the International Space Station at 12:40 p.m. EST Friday, Nov. 18. The 20-minute, Earth-to-space call will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado will open the downlink, hosted by Wheat Ridge High School, with a voice check call to the station. Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough, who launched to the station Oct. 19, will answer questions from the students.

Media interested in covering the event should contact Ashley Verville at [email protected]. Wheat Ridge High School is located at 9505 West 32nd Ave.

Teachers have been preparing the ninth through 12th grade students for this call by incorporating space into lessons in each of their core classes – science, math, history, and English.

This in-flight education downlink is an integral component of the NASA Office of Education’s efforts to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning in the United States. Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station through this STEM on Station activity provides authentic, live experiences in space exploration, space study and the scientific components of space travel, while introducing the possibilities of life in space.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For more information, videos and lesson plans highlighting research on the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation