PHOTOS The President & the Astronauts.

[Jackeens]

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Astronauts aboard the International Space Station took a break from construction tasks on Tuesday to answer questions from schoolchildren and U.S. President Barack Obama about the rigors of space life. Speaking to the crew of the space station and shuttle Discovery on the telephone from the White House along with about a dozen school children, Obama peppered astronauts with questions.

"Do you guys still drink Tang up there?" Obama asked, referring to the powdered, orange-flavored drink consumed by earlier U.S. astronauts.

For Discovery's crew, Tuesday was mostly a day of rest after they completed three spacewalks to deploy a new set of solar arrays and other construction tasks to prepare the $100 billion station for a six-person crew -- double its current size.

It was Obama's first chance to chat with an orbiting U.S. space shuttle crew since he took office in January, and he was clearly enjoying it. Obama is the fifth U.S. president to speak with orbiting space station and shuttle crews, NASA said.

Obama mentioned the space station was orbiting Earth at over 17,000 mph (27,360 kph), "so we are glad that you are using the hands-free phone."

About a dozen school children from Washington-area schools asked questions: What do astronauts eat? Can they play video games in space? What do you study to become an astronaut?

One student asked how many stars were in space. "I'll be interested in hearing the answer to this one," Obama said.

Obama asked astronaut Sandra Magnus, who has been aboard the space station since November, if it was difficult to maintain her long hair in space. "Were you tempted to cut your hair shorter?" Obama asked Magnus, who will return to Earth with Discovery's crew later this week. "I think it's a real fashion statement."

"Quite frankly, on me (shorter hair) wouldn't look so nice, so I kept it long," Magnus said, referring to her curly brown locks that hovered in the air in the weightlessness of space.

[firedupdem]

1. That is really cool!

My favorite question and the President's comment:

One student asked how many stars were in space. "I'll be interested in hearing the answer to this one," Obama said.

:rofl:

[Jackeens]

2. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.....ah **** this!!!! Loved it!

[Cha]

3. Gottta be one of the cutest pics..

Thanks Jackeens~

[RollWithIt]

4. Out of curiosity, were any Russians included?

Just wondering.

[tabatha]

5. Thanks. I love the first one.

[asphalt.jungle]

6. cool. here is the video

http://cspan.org/Watch/watch.aspx?ProgramId=HP-A-41267

[ClayZ]

12. Thanks for the link. I missed it this morning.

I am so glad I got to see it!

K and R

[Clio the Leo]

7. Now you KNOW he woke up this morning all geeked out about that call!

When he got onto "Baby Air Force One" as I call it ... one of the smaller planes in the President's fleet to fly to DC last fall before he was sworn in, he joked with the captain of the plane that he "looked just like Sam Shepherd in the Right Stuff."

I always liked that movie too. ;)

[stillcool]

8. wow..lucky kids...

I want to know the answers. Do they still drink Tang?

[Norrin Radd]

9. LOL at the Tang question.

[HopeOverFear]

10. Holy mother of god @ pic #2

swoooooooon!

[byronius]

11. Nice!