Atlanta area students to talk with space station astronauts

Students from five metro Atlanta classrooms are scheduled to speak with astronauts aboard the International Space Station this morning.

Students will ask questions via amateur radio communications as the space station passes overhead at 11 a.m. at Fernbank Science Center.

Schools selected to participate are: Taylor Road Middle School (Fulton County), Brown Middle School (Atlanta Public Schools), West Jackson Elementary (Jackson County), Russell Elementary (Cobb County) and Memorial Middle School STEM Academy for Environment Studies (Rockdale County).

The event is closed to the public, but will be broadcast live online. For access, visit http://www.atlantasciencefestival.org/spacechat.

The event is made possible through the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program. The Atlanta Science Festival is partnering with Fernbank Science Center and other groups to make the event possible in Atlanta.

The third annual Atlanta Science Festival is a weeklong public celebration of local science and technology that culminates with an all-day interactive Exploration Expo at Centennial Olympic Park on March 26. For more information about the event, check out http://atlantasciencefestival.org/ariss.