A Long Distance Relationship

In his latest such conversation, President Obama joined Congressional leaders and middle school children to congratulate astronauts aboard the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle Endeavour during a call from the Roosevelt Room of the White House:

I just wanted to let you guys know how proud we are of all of you at what you guys have been accomplishing.  I've had a chance to take a look at what Tranquility Module is doing.  Everybody here back home is excited about this bay on the world that you guys are opening up, and Stephen Colbert at least is excited about his treadmill. 

And so we just wanted to let you know that the amazing work that's being done on the International Space Station not only by our American astronauts but also our colleagues from Japan and Russia is just a testimony to the human ingenuity; a testimony to extraordinary skill and courage that you guys bring to bear; and is also a testimony to why continued space exploration is so important, and is part of the reason why my commitment to NASA is unwavering.

President Barack Obama, along with Congressional leaders and middle school children, congratulate astronauts aboard the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle Endeavour during a call from the Roosevelt Room of the White House. February 17, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

Incidentally, there aren't many better agencies on the internet than NASA -- check out their new release of photos from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer for example, and get a daily dose of the best of outer space by following them on Twitter.

UPDATE: Check out our "Educate to Innovate" initiative page to learn more about the program that brought these middle schoolers to the White House.