Tenn. Astronaut To Talk To Local Students

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Twenty local students will get a chance to ask questions of Tennessee native and NASA astronaut Barry E. Wilmore during a live conversation from orbit this weekend.

Wilmore is the pilot of space shuttle Atlantis, which launched on Monday on an 11-day mission to the International Space Station.

The live call from orbit will take place on Sunday morning at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville.

The 46-year-old Navy captain from Mount Juliet played football for the university in the 1980s as an outside linebacker.

WCTE-TV, the local PBS affiliate, will carry a live feed of the event.