“How does it feel to see the sun, earth, moon and stars from space?”
“How long did you have to train to become an astronaut?”
“How can you tell if it’s day or night?”
These are just a few of the questions that OCV Elementary students radioed to the International Space Station on February 5, 2021 as it flew more than 350 km above the planet.
Seventeen students aged 6-11 took part in this unique question-and-answer session with NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, Commander on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, which launched November 15, 2020.
As the event was broadcast live around the world on YouTube, Commander Hopkins talked about life aboard the ISS, the crew’s research, dealing with scary moments in space, and more.
Ms. Lori McFarlane, a first grade teacher at the OCV Central West campus, organized the talk, which marked the first time during the COVID pandemic that a class in Canada connected virtually with the space station.
In an interview with CBC Ottawa Morning, Ms. McFarlane said, “Our goal is to have kids dream ... anything is possible – even talking to someone not on earth – and to wonder and explore science and technology.”
Listen to the students’ conversation with Commander Hopkins below!