MENLO PARK — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is putting the social network’s live video tool to the test in space.
On Wednesday, the 32-year-old tech mogul will chat via live video with three astronauts who are living and working aboard the International Space Station, asking them questions submitted by users on the social media site.
The 20-minute call using Facebook Live is scheduled at 9:55 a.m. PST and can be viewed on NASA’s Facebook page.
NASA astronauts Tim Kopra and Jeff Williams, and Tim Peake from the European Space Agency, will chat with Zuckerberg.
“What is it like to live and work in microgravity orbiting the Earth? What sorts of out-of-this-world science is underway in the space station’s laboratories? How does the research in space help prepare to send humans on a Journey to Mars? Have a question you’d like to ask? RSVP to this event and post your question here,” NASA wrote on the event’s Facebook page.
The International Space Station, which serves as a laboratory for microgravity research, is the largest artificial body in orbit and can often be seen from the Earth with the naked eye.
People from throughout the world have already started posting questions online. More than 3,900 people are interesting in watching the event.
So far, questions submitted include “What happens if you sneeze in a helmet in space?,” “How is fuel supplied to the space station to orbit around the earth?” and “What is the protocol should someone on the station become sick or develop a contagious illness?”
Competing with Twitter’s Periscope, Facebook expanded its live video tool to all users in April. With 1.6 billion users, Facebook has more than 8 billion daily video views.
Contact Queenie Wong at 408-920-2706. Follow her at Twitter.com/QwongSJ.
