NASA censors Swedish pupil’s naked astronaut query

On Sunday night, students from Sätraskolan, a school in southern Stockholm, had the chance to interview Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang, who is on a space mission to the International Space Station (ISS). But NASA thought some of the questions were a bit too risque.

When fourteen-year-old Zhiwar Naeimiakbar wondered if you can survive in space “without clothes” if you have access to air, it appeared the American space agency might not approve his question.

NASA explained they would not run the question if it included the words “without clothes” (“utan kläder”) and instead changed it to “without a spacesuit.”

Naeimiakbar was thrilled to have his question answered.

“It feels unbelievable. Sure, you talk on the telephone with your best friends, but this here was a totally different feeling, even if it was just for a few minutes, a few seconds, it felt wonderful,” he said.

Seven-year-old Cawo Ali asked Fuglesang how it felt to come back to earth after a period of weightlessness.

“It feels heavy, I can tell you. Your legs are heavy on the first day and your balance is slightly off,” wrote the Swedish astronaut, who returns to planet earth on Friday night, Swedish time.

At 5:40 am on Monday, Fuglesang and his colleague Danny Olivas wrapped up the mission’s third and final space walk. Fuglesang became the first astronaut from a country other than the US or Russia to complete more than three space walks.

Käppala school on Lidingö outside of the Swedish capital will also meet Fuglesang. One of the school’s eighth grade classes participated in a competition and were drawn as a winner during a broadcast on Swedish Television (SVT).