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Space.com Speaks with Space Station Astronaut Today: Watch It Live Online

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Rick Mastracchio Removes Degraded Ammonia Pump
Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio works outside the International Space Station during Saturday's spacewalk to remove a degraded ammonia pump. This image was released Dec. 23, 2013. (Image credit: NASA TV)

A NASA astronaut currently in orbit on the International Space Station will speak with Space.com today (Jan. 31), and you can watch the conversation live online. Astronaut Rick Mastracchio is scheduled to speak with Space.com Staff Writer Miriam Kramer about his life in space, the Olympics and the Super Bowl on orbit.

Mastracchio will chat with Space.com for 10 minutes beginning at 10:45 a.m. EST (1545 GMT), and you can watch the astronaut interview live online via NASA TV. We will ask Mastracchio about all things having to do with his life in the space laboratory, but we can also take your questions. Just leave your questions in the comments below this story or send them to Space.com on Twitter using @SPACEdotcom or @mirikramer.

This long-duration flight to the space station is the fourth spaceflight for Mastracchio, 53, who had previously flown on three shorter space shuttle flights. He was selected for astronauts training in 1996 after joining NASA in 1987. Before becoming a part of the station's Expedition 38 crew, Mastracchio clocks close to 40 days in space and had ventured out on six spacewalks. [See Amazing Photos from Rick Mastracchio on the International Space Station]

Since launching to the International Space Station in November 2013, Mastracchio went on two spacewalks with fellow NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins to fix the orbiting outpost's vital cooling system during the Christmas season. Mastracchio now has 51 hours and 28 minutes of spacewalking time to his credit.

In May, Mastracchio is scheduled to fly back to Earth with fellow space station crewmembers cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin and Koichi Wakata of Japan. Hopkins and cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy round out the Expedition 38 crew.

What do you want to know about life in space? Ask Mastracchio in the comments below.

Follow Miriam Kramer @mirikramer and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebookand Google+.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Miriam Kramer
Miriam Kramer
Staff Writer

Miriam Kramer joined Space.com as a Staff Writer in December 2012. Since then, she has floated in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight, felt the pull of 4-Gs in a trainer aircraft and watched rockets soar into space from Florida and Virginia. She also served as Space.com's lead space entertainment reporter, and enjoys all aspects of space news, astronomy and commercial spaceflight.  Miriam has also presented space stories during live interviews with Fox News and other TV and radio outlets. She originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee where she and her family would take trips to dark spots on the outskirts of town to watch meteor showers every year. She loves to travel and one day hopes to see the northern lights in person. Miriam is currently a space reporter with Axios, writing the Axios Space newsletter. You can follow Miriam on Twitter.