Behind the camera: Astronauts talk with students from space station
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Nichole Ayers with NASA and Takuya Onishi with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), both Expedition 53 crewmates, are seen on board the International Space Station broadcasting their answers to students questions about life on orbit.
How do astronauts record their frequent video conversations with children and others on the ground? This photo, taken by an unidentified crew member aboard the International Space Station reveals the set-up.On May 20, 2025, Ayers and Onishi replied to questions submitted by students from schools in New York and Ohio. In this photo, they are shown during the first session, fielding the pre-recorded queries from Long Beach Middle School in Lido Beach.
As is often used for such video sessions, Ayers and Onishi are set up in the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory, JAXA's primary contribution to the orbiting complex and its largest science facility.The International Space Station orbits Earth at about 260 miles (420 kilometers) above the planet.
Besides being a rare behind-the-scenes view of a regular activity aboard the space station, this photo also answers a question that one of the students may have asked that day. If astronauts are in microgravity aboard the space station, how do they stand still and upright during a long Q&A session on camera?
Look carefully at Ayers' and Onishi's feet and you can see they are hooked under a blue metal bar positioned there for just such a reason. If you look along the lower wall closer to the camera, you can also see foot restraints for when astronauts are working with the science racks. While astronauts have demonstrated being able to "stand" without such tools, every motion they make can start them slowly tumbling or spinning in place.
You can read more about the activities aboard the International Space Station and you can watch astronauts demonstrate the effects of motion in microgravity.
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