The job of space agencies like NASA isn’t only to research scientific topics and to push forward space exploration — it’s also to communicate with the public about that work, and to get them excited for space research. To that end, NASA frequently hosts events like astronauts in space answering questions from school children, collaborating with citizen science projects, or encouraging amateur astronomers and curious stargazers to participate in astronomical events. Now, the agency’s latest push to engage young people is to go where many of them are: on Twitch.
NASA will host its first Twitch event from the International Space Station next week, in a move hoping to draw in a new audience interested in space science and research. The event will have NASA astronauts currently living on the space station talk about their life on board and the work that they’re doing, and give Twitch viewers the opportunity to ask them questions.
The event is scheduled for Wednesday, February 12 at 11:45 a.m. ET, and will be streamed on NASA’s Twitch channel.
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NASA officials say they hope they can attract new people to their work with the event. “This Twitch event from space is the first of many,” said Brittany Brown, director, Office of Communications Digital and Technology Division, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We spoke with digital creators at TwitchCon about their desire for streams designed with their communities in mind, and we listened. In addition to our spacewalks, launches, and landings, we’ll host more Twitch-exclusive streams like this one. Twitch is one of the many digital platforms we use to reach new audiences and get them excited about all things space.”
The event will include astronaut Don Pettit, who is currently living on the space station and recently took an incredible photo of the view from orbit, and astronaut Matt Dominick, who finished up his rotation on the station last year — and who is also known for his stunning photography.
As well as this Twitch event and frequent other streams like astronauts hosting events from the space station, there is also a 24/7 stream available on YouTube of the views from the ISS and video from the ISS, which includes inside views of the crew at work as well as views of Earth as seen from space.
