TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Keena Miller
Phone: 512-462-5328, cell: 512-658-4444
Email: [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A MESSAGE FROM SPACE
TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF GETS ANSWERS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
Austin, Texas – December 13, 2010 Finally, the wait is over. The Texas
School for the Deaf has been anticipating a message from space. And today,
that message arrived.
While aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Astronaut Tracy Caldwell
Dyson used American Sign Language (ASL) to respond to inquiries submitted by
students from the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD). Caldwell Dyson recorded
almost an hour of video footage addressing their questions about life on the
ISS.
As a way to inspire deaf and hard of hearing students to learn more about
space science, and encourage them to pursue space related careers, this
project was suggested by Caldwell Dyson, and is being coordinated by Dr.
David Coco, from the Educational Resource Center on Deafness at TSD. Dr.
Coco, who is deaf himself, is a former NASA intern who was also involved in
space physics research at the University of Texas for over 20 years. Dr.
Coco said, “TSD students are really excited about this opportunity to work
with Tracy and NASA. It gives them great exposure to explore opportunities
in space science.”
TSD students will create a series of video science lessons using the footage
provided by NASA. The first released clip from the project shows Caldwell
Dyson and the rest of the ISS crew signing a greeting along with a “Thank
You” from TSD students. This video can be viewed at:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=30760871.
NASA released the video footage to TSD after Expedition Crew 24, including
Flight Engineer Caldwell Dyson, wrapped up a six-month stay aboard the ISS
and returned to a safe landing in Kazakhstan on September 25. Additional
video segments on a variety of different science topics from the NASA/TSD
partnership will be created and posted soon on the NASA website.
The Texas School for the Deaf is the oldest continuously operating public
school in Texas. Educating deaf and hard of hearing students of Texas since
1856, the campus also provides outreach and educational resources for
students, their families and professionals in the field throughout the state
of Texas. With educational excellence and a strong belief in a culture and
community at TSD, students form a unique identity based on their individual
strengths and talents. TSD is an environment where students learn, grow, and
belong. For more information about the Texas School for the Deaf, visit
http://www.tsd.state.tx.us/