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Selected Press Release

November 18, 2009

NASA MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-219

SPACE SHUTTLE PILOT SET TO TALK WITH TENNESSEE STUDENTS FROM ORBIT

WASHINGTON -- Congressman Bart Gordon and Tennessee Technological
University in Cookeville will host a live conversation between more
than 120 students and NASA astronaut Barry E. Wilmore on Sunday, Nov.
22. Wilmore is the pilot of space shuttle Atlantis, which launched
Nov. 16 on an 11-day mission to the International Space Station.
Members of Wilmore's family also will attend the event.

The live call from orbit will take place between 11:08 a.m. and 11:28
a.m. CST. Twenty students, ranging from kindergarten to college age,
will ask questions of Wilmore and fellow astronauts Nicole Stott and
Leland Melvin. Stott has served as a flight engineer and member of
the Expedition 21 crew living aboard the International Space Station
for more than two months. She will return to Earth aboard Atlantis.
Melvin is a mission specialist and crewmate of Wilmore's aboard
Atlantis.

Reporters interested in attending the event should contact Monica
Greppin at 931-372-3214.

Gordon is the chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee.
Wilmore was born and raised in Gordon's district in Tennessee and
earned bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from
Tennessee Technological University.

The downlink is one in a series with educational organizations in the
U.S. and abroad to improve teaching and learning in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics. It is an integral component
of NASAs Teaching From Space office. The office promotes learning
opportunities and builds partnerships with the education community
using the unique environment of human spaceflight.

Tennessee Tech University and WCTE, the local PBS affiliate, will
carry a live feed of the event at:



http://www.tntech.edu




and




http://www.wcte.org


For more information about Wilmore, visit:



http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/wilmore-be.html


For information about NASAs education programs, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/education


For information about the sts-129 space shuttle mission, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

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