President Obama Talks to Space Station
School Children and Congressional Leaders Join In
Mar 25, 2009
As part of his administration’s adept combining of agenda items and briefing the public, President Obama gathered in the White House’s Roosevelt Room with students and political leaders to talk with the International Space Station team.
Space Station and Solar Energy
In addition to the space program, subjects discussed touched on solar energy both in space and on U. S. soil. This was in tandem with Obama’s effort to hold inclusive briefings with political leaders and the American citizenry on such subjects as going green and providing a wider and deeper educational program for America’s children.
The March 24 phone call also is part of an Obama effort to visibly support science and technology, an area that in many respects was put on hold during the Bush Administration.
President and Students Interview Astronauts
The President’s opening remarks were: “We've got a crew of wonderful schoolchildren here who are all interested in space, and we've got some members of Congress who are like big kids when it comes to talking to astronauts. I'm told that you're cruising at about 17,000 miles per hour, so we're glad that you are using the hands-free phone.”
“Mr. President, we go around the planet once every 90 minutes. It's quite a thrill, and it is very fast, and we see 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets every day,” Commander Edward Michael Fincke (Col., USAF) told the White House callers.
President Obama Asks Astronauts About Space Station Solar Panels
In addition to congratulating the astronauts, Obama asked about the installation of solar panels at the space station.
“We've roughly doubled the amount of solar power available for experimentation and for supporting a larger crew, and we hope to go to a crew of six and a more aggressive experimental program this year,” mission specialist Capt. John L. Phillips (USN-Ret.) reported.
“We’re investing back here on the ground in a whole array of solar and other renewable energy projects,” Obama replied.
The president asked how the solar panels were being installed.
Dr. Steven R. Swanson explained: “First it comes up on a truss segment, about five feet long. We use a robotic arm to attach it to the -- into another truss segment. And then once that's attached and bolted on through spacewalks, then we'll go ahead and unfurl or actually deploy the solar rays in a position so that we can unfurl from inside during the commanding with new software.”
Presidential Conversation Includes Japanese and Russian Astronauts
The President also asked to speak with the Japanese and Russian members of the team. Then came questions from the school children, resulting in both exciting and educational replies from the astronauts.
Final words of gratitude to the astronauts came from President Obama and Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, who represents the central Florida region in which the Kennedy Space Center is located.
SOURCE: Official White House website, where the entire conversation is available to the public.
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