Weslaco ISD students will have the opportunity on Thursday to speak to a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station.

Arminda Mindy Muoz, public information officer for the district, said on Monday that students will be making the earth-to-space call at around 11 a.m. for a 20-minute conversation scheduled to air live on NASA Television and on the agencys website.

According to a school district press release, Expedition 50 Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson will answer students questions from the Weslaco ISD Performing Arts Center at Central Middle School.

More than 800 students in grades 3-5, as well as Weslaco East High Schools Astronomy Club, will be in the audience, the release read. Whitson launched to the space station on Nov. 17 and will live aboard until the spring.

Described as an in-flight education downlink, the talk is considered an integral component of the NASA Office of Educations efforts to improve education in the field of STEM science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the U.S.

Linking students directly to astronauts aboard the space station through the agency Office of Educations 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, the release read.

The NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information can be found at http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv. For videos and lesson plans highlighting the International Space Stations research, visit http://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation.

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Weslaco students to speak with NASA astronaut on space station - Monitor