Lately, the International Space Station has been flying through geomagnetic storms, giving astronauts a close-up view of the aurora borealis just outside their windows.

ISS Flight Engineer 5 Don Pettit shares the experience in a new video from Science@NASA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL_-Zz7JDoA

Expedition 30 is the 30th long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Commander Dan Burbank, NASA
Flight Engineer 1 Anton Shkaplerov, RSA
Flight Engineer 2 Anatoli Ivanishin, RSA
Flight Engineer 3 Oleg Kononenko,RSA
Flight Engineer 4 André Kuipers, ESA

Dr. Don Pettit (NA1SS) speaks with students at Parkside Elementary School, Atlanta, GA, USA on 02 March 2012 at 1643 UTC via telebridge station K6DUE. Students asked some of the following questions:

1. I love learning about space! Did you have an interest in space when you were young?
2. How has your educational background and training prepared you to be aboard the ISS?
3. What prior preparations are needed before an astronaut is cleared to travel in space?
4. How did you feel the first time you launched into outer: space?

Audio File: 

Dr. Don Pettit - Parkside Elem. School Contact - 02 March 2012