Woodland Park students will get the chance to learn from homegrown astronaut Nichole Ayers
Karla Sosa
WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KRDO)- Students from Woodland Park will get to talk with Astronaut Nichole Ayers. She’ll answer questions about science, engineering, and more, all from aboard the International Space Station. It’s been over a month since Woodland Park’s very own NASA pilot, Major Nichole Ayers, went off to space.
According to NASA, the school wants to show students that even though they live in a small town, they can achieve big goals.
Ayers said that growing up next to the Air Force Academy during the shuttle era caught her eye.
“I was like, oh, so that’s what I want to do. I want to be a pilot in the Air Force and at the Air Force Academy. Right there, the thunderbirds [are] flying every year. It was just a natural decision for me,” said Ayers.
Ayers along with three crew mates went on a mission to relieve astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who found themselves spending 9 months in space after an issue with their return capsule.
In a previous interview, Ayers told KRDO13 about some challenges.
“One of the most challenging parts of our training here in Askern is the neutral buoyancy lab and learning how to do a spacewalk. You know, as a F-22 pilot, we were kind of on the operational tip of the spear in the military, and now we get to go do things that are on the operational tip of the spear for humanity,” said Ayers.
Guests can also watch the 20-minute Space-to-Earth call on Monday at 9:55 a.m. on the NASA STEM YouTube Channel.