Houston ISD students from Hartsfield Elementary School will be given an exclusive opportunity to speak with and interview NASA astronaut Dr. Peggy Whitson, who is currently living and working aboard the International Space Station, where she serves as the flight engineer on Expedition 50.

Students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades will ask Dr. Whitson about her time in space and what motivated her to become an astronaut. The 20-minute Earth-to-space call at 9 a.m. on Friday, March 3, will allow students to hear and see crewmembers live from space. The livestream of the call will air on NASA Television and http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.

Dr. Whitson, who is on her third long-duration mission to the International Space Station, has broken several space records. At the age of 57, she is the oldest woman to ever be in space and the first female commander of the International Space Station. She also has walked in space for more than 46 hours.

Hartsfield was chosen to participate in the NASA interview due to its unique magnet program that teaches students about animal and environmental science and its 4-H club involvement. The program encourages students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).