How To: Chat with NASA Astronauts Live from the International Space Station on February 22nd

Inhabiting the microgravity environment on the cusp of the world's atmosphere has to be filled with some of the most unique experiences in the world. Astronauts eat, sleep, and work just as we do, except that their lives are filled with the added dangers of extreme temperatures and possible life-threatening malfunctions, all while being 240 miles up in the sky.

Well, now's your chance to ask a handful of astronauts anything you ever wanted to know about life on the International Space Station.

On Friday, February 22nd, NASA will host a live Google+ Hangout which will allow you to ask those burning questions, with the whole event being streamed on YouTube and Google+ for the rest of the world to see.

Don't miss this opportunity to satisfy your curiosity about life in space. If you have any questions for the astronauts, there are a couple of ways to ask:

Video Questions

Some video questions uploaded to YouTube will be answered during the Hangout, but unfortunately the submission deadline was February 12th. If you want to browse the questions already asked, you can just check them out on YouTube. From what I can tell, there are over 150 questions asked.

Something like this is unlikely to be responded to:

These are the kinds of questions NASA will probably like:

If you didn't get yours in on time and still want to ask, there's still another option...

Real-Time Questions

During the event, you can submit a question in real-time on Google+ or Twitter, tagged with the hashtag #askAstro. You may also post a question on NASA's Facebook page, which will have an area for questions on the morning of the event.

NASA emphasizes that "unique and original questions are more likely to be selected," so make sure yours stands out. But, that doesn't mean you can ask about seeing Doctor Who in his TARDIS, though I'm slightly curious as to how a zombie in space might act.

Watch the Event Live on YouTube or Google+

If you don't want to ask any questions but still want to watch the event, head over to NASA's Google+ page and join the Hangout on the 22nd. You can also wait for their live feed to appear on their YouTube channel, too. You can find out more about the event on NASA's website.

The event will take place on February 22nd, 2012 at 11 a.m. to noon Eastern (8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Pacific).