Students to question Space Station Commander

29 September 2011

Students to question Space Station Commander

Cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev will be running a series of live video conferences with New Zealand students from 4-7 October in support of World Space Week (www.worldspaceweek.org.nz).

Holding the rank of Flight Engineer then Commander, Dmitry spent five months aboard the International Space Station conducting scientific experiments and completing two space walks, before returning to Earth in May this year.

Dmitry Kondratyev recorded a personal message to New Zealand earlier in the year for the 50th anniversary of human spaceflight, and gladly accepted the invitation from KiwiSpace to help further interest in space sciences and careers.

KiwiSpace Foundation is inviting schools to participate in the live webinars, with students selected to put their questions directly to Dmitry. Schools interested in participating should check the World Space Week website or contact Mark Mackay on 021 622 379 for scheduling and technical details.

A public webinar is planned and will be announced shortly.

About Dmitry Kondratyev

Born 25 May 1969 in Irkutsk, Russia, married to Dinara with one son, Vladislav. Dmitry served as a Commander of the International Space Station on Expedition 27, having also served as Flight Engineer on Expedition 26. Dmitry was selected as a test-cosmonaut candidate of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in December 1997, graduating in 2000 and selected for various missions before launching aboard the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft on 15 December 2010.

About World Space Week

World Space Week Association is a non-government, non-profit, international organisation founded in 1981 and the proud partner of the United Nations in the global coordination of World Space Week - the largest public space event on Earth. Since 2000, World Space Week has taken place every year on 4-10 October. It celebrates at the international level "the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition" (United Nations General Assembly). Currently, the volunteer-led Association works with more than 60 national coordinators. For more information, see www.worldspaceweek.org.

About KiwiSpace Foundation

KiwiSpace aims to help inspired Kiwis learn more about the education and work opportunities in the international space arena, bringing expert speakers to New Zealand audiences, and providing hands-on participation events such as water rocket competitions to help inspire future generations. For more information, see www.kiwispace.org.nz.

ENDS

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