Pima County Hosts First Visual Library Downlink with Space Station

By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 8/25/2008

The Pima County Public Library in Arizona recently hosted a live, visual discussion between local kids and Astronaut Greg Chamitoff as part of an in-flight educational downlink with the International Space Station.

Briana Bravin, a 7th-grader from Tortolita Middle School, asks Astronaut Chamitoff a question.

Children ages nine to 13 spoke to Chamitoff, an Expedition 17 astronaut, on August 15 during a live 20 minute question-and-answer session that included inquiries ranging from “What do you do in your spare time aboard the International Space Station?” (Email his family and watch movies on Friday nights) to “Will children ever be allowed to travel to space?” (Yes, once the right technology is in place).

More than 250 kids, parents, and teachers were on hand to witness history as 16 children asked questions and Chamitoff answered them from outer space. The visual downlink—which had an eight second delay—marked the first time that a public library in the U.S. has hosted a NASA visual downlink, says Steffannie Koeneman, the library’s spokeswoman. The event was broadcast on NASA TV.

John L. Munoz, a youth services librarian with the Pima County Public Library, filled out a lengthy application and coordinated the program. “The operating budget of the International Space Station is about $2.2 billion,” says Munoz. “So if you do the math, 20 minutes of their time amounts to about $40,000!”

To prepare students for the event, the library held a weeklong hands-on program at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library called the Outer Space Base, which focused on science, technology, engineering, and math skills. NASA's education downlinks support the agency’s efforts to encourage students to study and possibly pursue careers in these areas.

In September, 2007, the Gail Borden Public Library District in Elgin, IL, was the first library to host a live discussion between kids and an astronaut aboard the International Space Station.