By 1News Reporters
6:00am

A small South Island school has been given the opportunity of a lifetime - a question-and-answer session with an astronaut on board the International
Space Station.


Sixteen students at Diamond Harbour School on Banks Peninsula were selected
to ask questions to NASA's Jack Hathaway.


The teacher in charge, Katrina Pringle, told 1News yesterday's meeting was an "awesome opportunity" for the kids.


"It's been a year in the making and we are excited that the night has finally come."


The signal was relayed through a telebridge ground station in Casale Monferrato, Italy and was all made possible through ARISS (Amateur Radio on
the International Space Station).


The programme allowed students to experience talking directly with crew
members of the ISS.


For a school of just 120 students aged between five and 13, the experience
was monumental.


"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to speak to an astronaut," said 10-year-old Maddy.


Starting at 8.30pm on Monday, the starry-eyed students could barely stay in their seats as they did a run-through prior to making contact.


It was followed by a poi performance under a starry sky and a final technical check in a classroom crowded with teachers, parents and students.


"It's a rare occasion that we get to stay up this late at night but it's not every day that you get to talk to the space station," noted one parent.


After multiple nerve-wracking attempts to call through to the International Space Station, the connection finally went through around 9.51pm.


The students lit up with joy as they heard the long-awaited answers to questions they had been planning to ask for months. These ranged from the commander's life story to exercise routines and science.


When asked about the scariest thing to have happened to him in space,
Hathaway joked: "Eating the last dessert without asking anyone if they wanted it first."


Students weren't the only ones blown away by the event. Parents were
fascinated with the work it took to bring it all together.


"Tonight, we have a teacher who has literally inspired her students by
showing them what space is all about . It's very exciting to see," said
parent Matthew Barbati-Ross.


With ARISS only choosing 60 to 100 schools from across the globe annually, Pringle described the event as a career highlight.


"It meant everything to be able to give the students this kind of
opportunity. It's not something you can offer very often in your career."


- by Mason Herbert

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