Nasa hosting first ever Twitch livestream with space station

Let's hope the wi-fi connection is strong in space!

Nasa are used to setting records, but they are breaking new ground this week with their first ever chat streamed on Twitch.

On Wednesday 12 February, viewers on Nasa's own stream will be able to ask questions of two astronauts.

One of them, Don Pettit, will be joining from the International Space Station (ISS), where he lives and works in the orbiting laboratory.

Nasa says it is looking for new ways to get the public can get involved with science, in an effort to inspire the next generation of astronauts ahead of the Artemis mission.

'Reaching out and inspiring'

Astronaut Don Pettit has been living on the ISS since September last year

Brittany Brown, a communications director at Nasa, hopes that the event will "reach new audiences and get them excited about all things space", saying that the livestream is "the first of many".

As well as Don Pettit, viewers will be able to chat to astronaut Matt Dominick, who's joining the stream closer to home on Earth.

Like Don, Matt has also lived on the ISS and recently returned home after Nasa's Crew-8 mission.

For viewers in the UK, the stream will start at 1:45pm, with people joining from around the world... and in space, too!

Visits and calls

Twitch - which is for over-12s - is a popular platform used by teenage gamers.

But it's not the only way Nasa has been reaching out to even younger people.

Often Nasa sets up satellite calls with classrooms here on Earth, and even sends astronauts who are due to go into space, or who are back from previous missions, into schools too.

They say it allows kids to ask astronauts questions and aims to inspire them dream of being space travellers themselves too.