‘THE RIGHT stuff’ was in evidence at a Rugby primary school when lucky pupils had an out-of-this-world video chat with a real-life spaceman.
Former NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff wowed Year 3 children at Bilton Grange Preparatory School with his stories of life on board the International Space Station (ISS), 250 miles above the Earth.
Before the call the pupils watched a video from Greg’s last mission and considered the questions they wanted to ask.
As well as asking about the most dangerous part of the mission and whether Greg was scared when he began his space walk, the pupils also asked about day-to-day life on board the ISS.
Greg, who had the honour of performing the final spacewalk that completed the ISS in 2011, explained astronauts’ limited clothing range – one T-shirt every two weeks – and that with 16 countries involved in the ISS, there was a broad range of cuisine available including his favourite, Mexican Chicken Fiesta.
He also said that getting rid of rubbish was a real problem that was only solved when an unmanned supply ship took away their waste after unloading their supplies; rubbish removal would be a real problem on a mission to Mars.
Asked how they might become astronauts, Greg said that aspiring star-trekkers should study hard in school, do their best and pursue their passions. He explained it was the Apollo launch that had inspired his dream to become an astronaut.
Head of Pre-Prep, Adrian Brindley said: “The opportunity for our pupils to talk to an astronaut has been truly inspiring.
“This call is a pinnacle point in their space project and comes after they have made and launched their own rockets, created moon rock and spent an evening star gazing.”
Greg is now working with the Lunar Missions Trust, a charity dedicated to ‘the advancement of education and research in the fields of space science, engineering and technology’.
Visit www.lunarmissionone.com for more information.
