Students make call to International Space Station

What does one do for fun while living in space? How do astronauts cope with loss of bone density in microgravity?

Sixteen students. Sixteen questions.

The answers came from qualified sources: astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins, who could be seen on a big screen, floating inside the International Space Station (ISS), by 130 aerospace students at Alamo Heights High School.

The live television downlink was arranged by U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, who said it was the second one his office has taken part in and the first in the San Antonio area. Principal Linda Foster called it a historic event.

There are lots of technical issues to address, and NASA gets lots of requests, Smith told the students. I hope this inspires you to continue studying science, engineering and technology.

We exercise quite a bit. We run on a treadmill. We wear a harness that straps us to the treadmill, Mastracchio said, responding to a question by Sara Downing. He arrived at the ISS in November.

That puts a load on our shoulders and legs, and it helps put a load on our muscles and our bones. We also lift weights. We have a pneumatic system that allows us to do squats and dead lifts. That, a good diet and exercising two hours a day helps to minimize the loss of bone density while we're up here.

Students also asked the astronauts how they eat in space and whether they lack rest in such an extreme environment.

I found I'm sleeping as much up here as I do on the ground, about six or seven hours a night, Hopkins said, replying to a question by Anne Wang. He's been on the space station since September and is due to return to Earth this March.

We sleep in sleeping bags, but as we don't sleep on the ground, we tie a sleeping bag to a wall or an overhead compartment and slip in there. I find it pretty comfortable.

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Students make call to International Space Station