Syracuse Astronaut Jeanette Epps answers student questions

Syracuse astronaut Jeanette Epps has been aboard the International Space Station for more than a month now. A virtual visit was about giving back.

“I really appreciate being able to do this for my alma mater, my hometown, my school district,” she said.

Epps, one of the biggest success stories out of the Syracuse City School District and LeMoyne College, answered questions from students while moving 17,500 miles per hour aboard the International Space Station. The opportunity blew student away.

“A lot of it is in the form of disbelief, like we’re going to talk to what, who and where are they?” said Anthony Davis, the superintendent of the Syracuse City School District. “That’s extremely fun.”

Questions like, what do you do for fun in space?

“If I was in there, I’d probably jump and float,” said Javonte Britt, a student at Brighton Academy.

Another student pondered.

“My question is, how do you sleep in space without floating away?” student Ameriyonna Myers asked in her pre-recorded question to Epps.

“That’s a great question,” Epps said. “What we have, we have sleeping bags and within the sleeping bag we have straps if we want them. But we have these small crew quarters that’s our little room. It’s about the size of a closet, a very small closet. And our sleeping bags are just on one of the walls.”

This event marks an important moment, one that could lead to future success stories.

“It’s immeasurable,” said Dana Corcoran, the director of Science and Technology for the Syracuse City School District. “To see an African American woman from Syracuse city who not only is an alum here, got her doctorate and is now representing this district in such an amazing way, our kids need to see that.”

“I think what it does is shows infinite potential,” Davis said. “You can be anything. You can be anyone. And you can have such a great impact no matter where you came from.”