Kids Across Canada Ask the Questions at Eddy the Eco-Dog Ask the Astronaut interview

For immediate release: Winnipeg, Canada
June 06, 2002

What would the "kid in you" want to ask an astronaut who has traveled through space and is about to head back up in 2003? Canadian astronaut Steve MacLean, who has the prestigious record of being one of first six Canadians to have looked at the world from another side, and KidsWebTv.com are giving young kids across Canada the chance to ask him their burning question about space travel. One day in their life imprinted in their minds forever, twelve kids chosen from cities across Canada will have the unique privilege of having their question chosen for Steve MacLean to personally answer in Eddy The Eco-Dog Ask the Astronaut interview webcast at http://www.kidswebtv.com 2 PM PST, Friday, June 14, 2002.

With stars in our eyes we watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon in 1969 and realized that anything was possible. As we looked upward, how many thoughts and questions were racing around in our heads for the man on the moon? Looking back at our childhood there is an event, a person that made a lasting impression on us, that we took and used throughout our lives in various ways. In 2002 the power of the Internet connects kids and an astronaut for such an event - Eddy the Eco-Dog Ask the Astronaut.

KidsWebTv.com, an innovative, pioneering content provider of kids' entertainment for distribution via the Internet and wireless devices; SMS alerts, animated messaging and games, creating compelling content for tweens, has organized the out of this world cyber event. Inspired by Eddy the Eco-DogÒ, KidsWebTv's star-surfing canine that surfs to adventure to join kids in exploring and discovering earth, this event was created to awaken the kid in all of us. With millions of viewers, "Eddy the Eco-Dog® Unleashed! www.kidswebtv.com captures the imagination of the tween generation.

Sparked by the impact of KidsWebTv's previous interviews with astronauts Chris Hadfield, Marc Garneau and Julie Payette had on kids, KidsWebTv.com created the Eddy the Eco-Dog Ask the Astronaut to give as many kids across Canada the chance to feel the same empowerment. Lorane Poersch, C.E.O.: "The response I saw from kids who were 6 - 12 years old, how incredibly touched they all were by listening to an astronaut who 'speaks' directly to the them, I thought we have to give kids across Canada this opportunity."
Chantelle, age 9: "Thank you for answering the questions. I like when I heard my answer. I thought it was really, really cool. It is nice to listen to a real astronaut".

Steve McLean was selected as one of the first six Canadian astronauts in 1983. He flew in space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia as a Payload Specialist. Right now, Steve is a CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator) for the International Space Station. In April 2003, Steve will fly through space to visit the International Space Station as a Canadian Space Agency crewmember of Mission STS-115 aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. On the mission, Steve will perform two spacewalks.

Emails were sent from kids across Canada to Eddy the Eco-Dog at kidswebtv.com with their candid questions for astronaut Steve MacLean. Twelve will be chosen for Steve to answer in an interview that will be audio webcast at kidswebtv.com Kids can tune into Eddy the Eco-Dog Ask the Astronaut interview online to listen to a real live astronaut personally address the questions that are on all kids' minds.
Webcast: www.kidswebtv.com Friday, June 14, 2002 at 2 pm Pacific

Contact:
Tim Riedel, KidsWebTv Inc. phone 204.772.2672 email: paws@kidswebtv.com

The list of kids questions chosen and the first name, age and various cities they are from will be emailed to the media on June 10, 2002. High-Resolution screen shots available for download here.