Several Taiwanese students will soon have an opportunity to speak to an astronaut on the International Space Station by radio, a spokeswoman for the Technology and Science Institute of Northern Taiwan (TSINT), the institute behind the activity, said yesterday.
Amber Huang, director of TSINT’s Public Relations Department, said that about 30 students will gather at Humanity Primary and Junior High School in Yilan County’s Toucheng Township (頭城) tomorrow at 2:30pm to speak to the astronauts in orbit.
The key figure who helped make this dream become a reality for the students is Zhuang Kun-liang, a part-time lecturer at TSINT and an instructor at Humanity Primary and Junior High School.
KNOWLEDGE
“I hope to encourage students to improve their knowledge of aerospace as well as English. Arranging for the students to talk to the astronauts while they are in orbit can achieve both,” said Zhuang, who is also a member of the Taipei Amateur Radio League.
It took one year to obtain the necessary permission from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the organization supporting the International Space Station, to arrange the encounter.
“The students are quite excited, and now everyone is working really hard at practicing English while working on questions they would like to ask the astronauts,” Huang said.
“The students will talk to the captain of the International Space Station, retired US Army Colonel Jeffrey N. Williams, via radio,” she said.
ALIENS
As far as she knew, Huang said, the students are especially curious about how and what the astronauts eat and whether they have met any aliens.
One of the students said he would like to sing Happy Birthday to the captain, who will turn 52 on Jan. 18, Huang said.
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