Nebraska Students Get A Glimpse of Life on the International Space Station

Oct. 13, 2021, 3:41 p.m. ·

Astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet
NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet aboard the International Space Station. (Photo from NASA livestream)

Students across Nebraska had a chance to talk to astronauts aboard the International Space Station Wednesday, part of a project to get young people interested in careers and science, technology and engineering. Sponsored by Nebraska 4-H, students, including Javier Lizzaraga-Hascall from Sarpy County, asked NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur questions about space and whether McArthur drops things when she gets back to earth after the weightlessness of space.

“I have never actually done that, but this will be the longest time that I have spent in space when I come home,” MacArthur said while floating inside the International Space Station. “One of the things that I love about being in space is that I can stick even heavier object right to the Velcro on my pants and carry them around with me that way when I’m zooming around the Space Station. I won’t be able to do that obviously when I get back to earth so I expect that I’ll be dropping some things on those first couple of days.”

McArthur and Kimbrough arrived at the ISS in April and are expected to return to earth this month. More than 125 students from across the state participated in the question and answer session with the astronauts.