Sharing a message as informative as it was inspirational, astronaut Mike Fossum appeared before students at his namesake Michael E. Fossum Middle School January 27.

Using modern technology, Fossum appeared via the world wide web from Johnson Space Center in Houston. Students asked insightful questions on everything from Mars to the space race.

Fossum students watched from four different science labs. They were joined by high school students and even students from Andrew Jackson Elementary (where Fossum attended as a little boy).

Fossum is getting ready for his third mission into space. The launch will be May 30 in Kazakhstan in Central Asia. Fossum will board a Soyuz TMA-02M spacecraft. The other crew members include Commander Sergei Volkov of Russia and astronaut Satoshi Furukawa of Japan.

The video from the event will be made available to students at other McAllen ISD campuses so that teachers may incorporate it into their lessons.

Fossum is a 1976 graduate of McAllen High School and is the only person from the Valley to become an astronaut. He attended Andrew Jackson Elementary, Lamar Junior High and Abraham Lincoln Ninth Grade School. Read more about Fossum at http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/fossum.html

Time Warner Cable has moved the district’s TV station -- MITV. Turn to channel 135.17 if the channel no longer appears on channel 17. If you need a digital cable box, you may still qualify for a free installation. A letter was sent to McAllen ISD parents in December that explains how they can qualify for a free installation. Download the letter here. Click here for more information.