On this special episode of Talking Space, we talk to Abigail Harrison, also known as Astronaut Abby on Twitter. Abby is a teenager with a passion for space, who is planning to be the first person on Mars by 2030. We discuss with Abby her special trip to Russia and then to Kazakhstan to see the launch of theSoyuz TMA-09M spacecraft carrying 3 crew members to the ISS, including her mentor ESA astronaut LucaParmitano. We discuss how she met Parmitano and how her whole adventure came about. We talk about what she'll be doing overseas, as well as what she'll be doing when she returns to the states. We talk about her plans to take her experiences and make it a learning experience by talking to teachers and classrooms about her experiences and promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education.

To support Abby's trip and outreach efforts, visit http://www.rockethub.com/projects/22119-share-the-adventure-astronaut-abby-soyuz-space-launch

For more on Abby, visit her blog http://astronautabby.com and be sure to check her out on Facebook andTwitter. You can also follow along with her mission on Twitter using the hashtag #SoyuzAdventure.

Host this week: Sawyer Rosenstein. Panel Members: Gene Mikulka and Mark Ratterman

Show Recorded - 3/18/2013