The first Earth-to-space call will be in Louisiana for hurricane-stricken Lake Charles

No one from Louisiana has ever made contact with space. That will change on Tuesday when Earth students contact NASA astronauts orbiting above.

The two astronauts on the other side of the line will answer pre-recorded questions from Lake Charles area students attending NASA Astro Camp. The event will reach 300 children in person and approximately 5,000 others. It has been described as a way to bring hope to southwest Louisiana, an area devastated by major hurricanes in recent years.

“The Lake Charles area has been affected by two hurricanes recently, and this event is designed to help inspire and excite the local students involved in their week-long camp experience.” NASA statement He said.

Students will hear from astronauts Dr. Frank Rubio and Woody Hoburgh aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The International Space Station orbits the planet in low Earth orbit and houses astronauts from the United States, Canada, Russia, Japan and Europe.

Rubio, a Florida native, was selected for NASA’s 2017 Astronaut Class of the Year. He is a graduate of the US Military Academy and is a board certified family physician and flight surgeon. Before becoming an astronaut, he was a helicopter pilot who flew more than 1,100 hours.

Hoburg, a native of Pennsylvania, was part of the class of 2017. He earned his bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT and earned his doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Hoburg led the crew to the International Space Station and docked their spacecraft on March 3. Now, amid their research and other projects, they await a call from excited Louisiana students. The event will be broadcast at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday NASA TV And on the agency website And program.