Wichita Students to Chat With Space Station Crew, Wednesday, Jan. 23

HOUSTON, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Exploration Place in Wichita, KS
will host fifth grade students, from Anderson Elementary School who will get
an out of this world experience when they chat with Expedition 16 crew
members, Commander Peggy Witson and Flight Engineer Dan Tani.

Last fall these students participated in the Kansas STARBASE at McConnell Air
Force Base where they designed their own space station. Now they will talk to
astronauts aboard the real space station for approximately 20 minutes. The
downlink will begin at 10:25 a.m.

The downlink is scheduled in Exploration Place's CyberDome Theater - the
state's largest digital dome theater.

"We are greatly honored to host this first-time event for our state," said
Alberto C. Meloni, Exploration Place President. "As Kansas' foremost science
center, this effort clearly illustrates our goal to continue to bring the most
progressive educational opportunities for students, teachers, and our entire
community."

Also attending the event will be:
Members of the Society of Women Engineers from Wichita State University,
Wichita Public Schools Superintendent Winston Brooks,
Sedgwick County Assistant Manager, Ron Holt,
Sedgwick County Commissioner, Tim Norton and
Wichita City Council Members Sharon Fearey, Jim Skelton, and LaVonta Williams.

Media that attend the event must be in place by 10:00 a.m.

The station crew's call will be broadcast live on NASA TV. For NASA TV
downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

Teaching from Space facilitates education opportunities that use the unique
environment of human spaceflight. They work closely with crewmembers to
facilitate live in-flight education downlinks, education payload operations,
and education demonstration activities for grades K-12. For more information
about NASA's education programs and Expedition 16 on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

Exploration Place, Kansas' premier science center of Sedgwick County, offers
visitors of all ages interactive exhibits, Kansas' largest domed theater - the
CyberDome, imaginative spaces, and outdoor recreation, all located on a
20-acre site along the scenic Arkansas River in downtown Wichita, Kan. For
more about Exploration Place, go to:
www.exploration.org

SOURCE NASA

Christina Bluml of Exploration Place, Wichita, +1-316-263-3373; or Jenna C
Mills of NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, +1-281-483-5111