16 Lee County students to talk space with astronauts aboard ISS

Avery Black is one of 16 students selected to communicate with astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

“I’m so excited to talk to an astronaut, I’m almost speechless,” said Black, who attends Allen Park Elementary.

While the students were chosen from nine different schools in Lee County and three different grade levels, they all share one thing in common — an admiration for space exploration.

The students will use a special amateur radio to communicate with the ISS crew as the space station passes over Florida this fall.

“You could ask questions that nobody has asked before and get the answers like, ‘How do plants survive in space?'” Allen Park Elementary student Oren Philpott said.

A telescope will be provided by Florida Gulf Coast University for the students to see the ISS overhead as they ask astronauts questions.

“I wanted to ask an astronaut, ‘Does food taste different in space?'” Allen Park Elementary student Bennett Black said.

For more information on the ISS, click here.