East Middle School students talk to astronaut on the International Space Station – Grandblancview

Grand Blanc East Middle School eighth-grader Alayna Broome asks a question of astronaut Jessica Meir, who is aboard the International Space Station. Broome won a national contest, which gave her and her classmates the opportunity to talk with Meir, who is aboard the ISS for a 9-month term. Photo by Jalene Jameson

GRAND BLANC Eighth-graders at Grand Blanc East Middle School had an out-ofthis world experience last week, thanks to their classmate Alayna Broome.

Out of 3,000 submissions from across the United States in the Opening Doors in Space program and contest, Broomes submission of plans for a space garden won the grand prize a chance to speak with NASA astronaut Jessica Meir who is currently living and working aboard the International Space Station.

As the first hospitality brand to participate in research aboard the ISS, DoubleTree by Hilton in partnership with Scholastic invited 5,000 middle school classrooms around the U.S. to participate in its Opening Doors in Space educational program and contest, which encouraged students to think creatively about how to innovate long-duration space travel to make it more comfortable and hospitable. DoubleTree by Hilton developed the educational program and contest to complement its famous DoubleTree chocolate chip cookies becoming the first food baked in space.

Grand Blanc East Middle School eighth-grader Alayna Broome talks with Grand Blanc City Councilman John Creasey, left, and U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee after a Skype session with astronaut Jessica Meir, who is aboard the International Space Station. Photo by Jalene Jameson

Broomes submission detailed a space garden that functions as a sustainable food source, as well as serves as a symbol of comfort to make travelers feel at home, no matter where they are.

As the students waited to connect with Meir, Mission Control in Houston could be heard asking for a voice check. Several students, including Broome, were able to ask Meir questions and see and hear her via Skype. Life in microgravity could be seen as Meirs curly hair floated above her head, bracelets she was wearing lifted off her wrist, and her microphone and a packaged cookie hung suspended in the air.

Meir explained to the students how the DoubleTree cookie became the first food baked in space using a special oven. She said being able to cook, smell and taste freshly made food is important for long-term space travel and for the crews psychological well-being.

Who doesnt like freshly baked cookies? Meir said. The oven is right here above my head in this lab. All the crew members pass through here, and the lab was full of this wonderful smell of baking cookies. I love to bake and bring things to people to share

This is Broomes design for a space garden. Her design won the grand prize in the national DoubleTree by Hilton and Scholastic Opening Doors in Space program contest. Drawing provided

6 at work, and it reminded me of that. That wonderful aroma really did make me feel at home.

Meir has been aboard the ISS since September and is completing a 9-month mission. She said people often ask her what she misses in space. She said she misses her family and friends, but the astronauts are able to Skype weekly with loved ones and can even call them on the phone. Surprisingly, she said she really doesnt miss anything else.

I thought Id miss the outdoors because I love to hike and be out in nature, she said. I think its because were in a unique and exceptional environment, nothing like anything youve experienced before. Everything is so unique and special and beautiful looking down at the Earth, doing the space walk and all the experiments. Theres so much exciting stuff going on.

One of those exciting moments for Meir was being part of the first all-female space walk in history. Another experiment has been growing a crop of lettuce on the ISS. Meir and her crew have had two harvests of Mizuna mustard lettuce, which she said has had a positive psychological effect for them from being able to grow and care for the plants, harvest them and be able to eat what theyve grown in a salad.

The other important factor in food sources and ways we can grow and prepare food in space is important to long-duration and deep-space missions, Meir said. Food has to be more sustainable because were not going to bring everything with us.

Meir said she has wanted to be an astronaut since she was about 5 years old, but her career before space was as a comparative physiologist studying animals that live in extreme environments. She said she studied emperor penguins and elephant seals in the Arctic, in particular why they both can live in the same environment and are deep sea divers, but the penguins can only stay underwater for 2 minutes, while the seals can stay under for 2 hours.

Meir said she believes space exploration is an inherent part of human beings having the desire to go farther, and that desire is very important for humans to progress as a society and civilization.

Sometimes the unintended results are often the most fruitful, she said. You may uncover a whole different realm of answers that you werent even looking for. It changes you as a person up here. Ive had people describe to me how they felt when they looked back on Earth for the first time with their own eyes. It gives you a profoundly different feeling for your place in the world. Its easy to get caught up in the small minutiae of things that dont really matter. Were all a part of something much bigger, and were all in this together.

After the presentation, Broome discussed her winning project and what it was like talking to an astronaut. She said she knew astronauts are able to grow plants in space, so she came up with the idea of a space garden that would make the ISS seem a little more like home. She said she was happy she won, but she would have liked to see what other students came up with.

Broome said being able to talk with Meir was a life-changing moment.

It was really cool because we got to have a conversation with her through just Skype, Broome said. Its just so amazing we got to talk to someone so far away from us in space when were on Earth. Its just so awesome to hear from her experience and what she learned and that she didnt actually miss anything from Earth because its so unique.

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East Middle School students talk to astronaut on the International Space Station - Grandblancview