Sen. Cruz Talks with Expedition 56 Crew Members Stationed on ISS
Tours Johnson Space Center with Presidential Advisor Ivanka Trump and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine
HOUSTON, Texas – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today participated in a meet and greet and tour with Presidential Advisor Ivanka Trump and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Still photos and video of the visit may be viewed here.
Sen. Cruz had the opportunity to talk with the crew members of Expedition 56 who are stationed on the International Space Station (ISS).
“Let me ask you, what is the most challenging part of living and working in space, and what is the most rewarding and valuable part of living and working in space?” Sen. Cruz asked.
“Good afternoon down there,” Dr. Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor said. “I’ll start with the latter half of that [question] first. Probably some of the most rewarding work we’ve done up here is work that definitely impacts folks on the ground. And I think sometimes people ask, you know, ‘Why should I care about the science being done on ISS? How does it impact me?’ And for example a month or so ago we were doing cancer therapy research up here, because we figured out that some cells in the body really like to grow up here. So they grow in space just like they do in the body. And that allowed our researchers to look at different treatments, things we cannot do on the ground. And that is so, so rewarding.”
“I think one of the most challenging things, and I can’t speak for the entire crew, but is just being away from our families,” Dr. Auñón-Chancellor continued. “Our families are on the ground, and we are in constant contact with them. And we have pictures all over. We try and make this a home away from home. But it’s still difficult at times. And so they love us, and support us, and they love what we’re doing up here. But for me, that’s probably one of the most difficult parts.”
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