Astronauts Talk to Local Teen Center Student from Space Station

Orland Park, IL - Bridge Teen Center student Kayla Yukawa of Tinley Park had the rare opportunity to ask a question to International Space Station astronauts Shannon Walker and Kathleen Rubins. The Q & A session took place on Thursday, January 7th and was broadcasted LIVE on NASA TV. Students from all over the country submitted video questions for the astronauts.

Kayla, a 10th grader at Heritage Christian School in Frankfort, Illinois, and a Bridge Teen Center student, asked the astronauts ‘What kind of exercises do you do to keep your body in shape?’ Shannon Walker, NASA Astronaut and Flight Engineer on Expedition 64, shared with Kayla and viewers that astronauts do daily exercises in space. “We are scheduled for 2.5 hours of exercise everyday, which seems like a lot, but it is so important to keep our muscles and our bones strong.”

Kayla was shocked to hear the amount of time the astronauts had to exercise each day and the uniqueness of the equipment. All exercise equipment on the International Space Station looks a little different than the equipment used here on Earth due to the lack of gravity in space. “We have an exercise bike that we ride. The interesting thing about being in space is you don’t need a seat. You just have your feet clipped to the pedals and you can ride,” said Walker. “For the treadmill, you have to wear a harness to hold you down otherwise you would float off of it.”

This opportunity was made possible by the Afterschool Alliance and The Bridge Teen Center. The Afterschool Alliance is an organization that works to ensure that all youth have access to affordable, quality afterschool programs by engaging public will to increase public and private investment in afterschool program initiatives at the national, state and local levels. Bridge Teen Center Founder, Priscilla Steinmetz, was named an Ambassador for the Afterschool Alliance in 2011 and remains an Ambassador Emeritus for the organization.

“When The Afterschool Alliance presented this opportunity to our team, we immediately built a list of students including Kayla,” said Steinmetz. “Kayla frequently attends afterschool programs, including STEM programs, offered here at The Bridge so we thought she would be a great selection. One of our goals has always been to present students with unique opportunities they may not have access to elsewhere - and this certainly met that goal.”

Since 2018, Kayla has been a student member of The Bridge Teen Center. “There are a lot of reasons why I like The Bridge Teen Center, some of them are making new friends and seeing my old friends,” said Yukawa. “I can sign up for programs that will teach me new tech skills and the Center has great staff that are supportive and fun.”

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, The Bridge Teen Center safely offered over 330 free afterschool programs in-person and on Zoom for local teens last year. Types of programs offered included art, culinary, music, STEM, and more. Every single one is free and is designed to connect, engage and empower teens where they can develop holistically in a safe environment.

Kayla had one final message for NASA and The Bridge: “I would like to thank NASA for answering my question and for The Bridge Teen Center for giving me this opportunity.”

“We are so excited for Kayla and always enjoy when students have the opportunity to learn outside of our walls,” said Steinmetz. “Not many teens can say they have talked to an astronaut in space, but Kayla can! We are proud to continue our affiliation with the Afterschool Alliance, and we appreciate them selecting a Bridge student to participate in this amazing experience.”

The Bridge Teen Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, providing free programs during afterschool and unsupervised hours that help teenagers develop emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually in a safe environment. Since 2010, The Bridge has served more than 10,000 different teens from 128 Chicago Southland and Northwest Indiana communities. Funding for student programs and events comes from foundations, The Bridge Thrift Store (sister organization), fundraising events, individual donations and entities. For more information, visit www.thebridgeteencenter.org or call 708.532.0500.