Crewmembers Chris Williams KJ5GEW and Sophie Adenot KJ5LTN (Pictures: NASA, Wikipedia)
An educational radio contact is planned with FIRST x XRP Governors Cup, Washington, DC, telebridge via ARISS Telebridge Station K6DUE in Greenbelt, Maryland. The ISS callsign is presently *TBD*, the scheduled crewmembers are Chris Williams KJ5GEW and Sophie Adenot KJ5LTN, the ARISS mentor is AJ9N.
Contact is go for Friday 20 Feb 2026, 14:56:29 UTC, 68 deg. Downlink signals from ISS will be audible above areas within the ISS footprint on 145.800 MHz narrowband FM; the conversation will be in English, RX only! Credit: AMSAT.)
Proposed questions generated by the FIRST x XRP Governors Cup students:
1. Thank you for helping to inspire the amazing youth here today and throughout our country. Did you participate in STEM competitions as a student? If so, how did that experience better prepare you to be a physicist and an astronaut?
2. When you first looked upon the Earth from space, what did you think?
3. What was your most meaningful experience in school that inspired you to be an astronaut while making a difference for our country and planet?
4. Is there something that you would recommend young people can do to help them make a positive difference and have a great career in STEM?
5. How important and impactful do you think it would be if robotics STEM experiences, like FIRST, were made an official school sport?
6. What is your favorite Science Fiction movie, story, or character and how did they inspire you?
7. Were you involved in any STEM clubs while you were in school? If so, what were they and how did they shape your career path?
8. There are FIRST robotics teams here from nearly every state and we’re working to continue growing the program with help from XRP. What message would you like to give leaders that plan on investing in STEM education in their states?
9. Last year we created an XRP robot with some of our 3rd and 6th graders here that went into space on Blue Origin flight NS-32. Considering how quickly robotics and AI technologies are advancing, what should students consider while building robots capable of assisting astronauts during missions to the Moon and Mars?
10. What do you think is the return value aerospace and other STEM industries if more students participated in activities like FIRST robotics competitions?
11. I’ve known for a long time that I want to work in aerospace, and I’m at MIT pursuing it now. For the younger students watching who have big goals but are still figuring things out, what’s the most important failure you learned during your career path, and how did it shape your trajectory?
12. What was the most fun thing you ever did in space?
13. Can I have your job? Or what does it take to earn a job like yours?
14. What do you dream about doing next?
15. People may say my dreams are unrealistic, any advice on how to forge ahead when others don’t believe in you?
16. Can you tell us about a time when things failed, and how you handled and learned from it?
17. Representation and positive role models are important for inspiring our youth. Any advice to the adults in the room today on what they can do to inspire the people/children in their lives?
18. Is there something that you did to help prepare for a great STEM career and why was it so valuable to you?
19. What final message would you like to give to all the students here and throughout FIRST?
20. Thank you Chris and Sophie for your service and for inspiring everyone in this room today and thank you to the students for their wonderful questions and the ARISS team for all their hard work in making this opportunity a reality. Now it’s time for the Governors Cup to begin!