The live event was made possible with a Tandberg video conferencing solution provided by industry expert IVCi. The event was also made accessible to viewers nationwide via a streaming video link on the NASA web site.

Neme Alperstein, Program Administrator of Technology at the Richmond Hill Community Center, believes in the power of video conferencing to take students to places they may otherwise never see first hand.

Students come here to participate in video conferences, so the children are very familiar with the technology. They did their research and were prepared when they spoke with the astronaut. Video conferencing is very interactive, and it enhances the children’s learning. I don’t think it’s the future, I think it’s the present.