It was a simple question from 5-year-old Harry to British astronaut Tim Peake which revealed the magic of the #CosmicClassroom event this week.
Major Peake floated over to the window, through the weightless environment of the International Space Station, and answered: “I can see that we are coming up on the coast of Africa…it’s magnificent to see from space.”
The live link-up, watched by more than 400,000 pupils around the world, was the brainchild of Helen Ward. The TES reporter contacted the UK Space Agency in September 2014 with the idea that Tim Peake could inspire a generation of children by giving a live lesson from space.
It took a collaboration between the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency, NASA and the TES Global team to make Helen’s idea reality. They put on a special screening for 300 pupils at the World Museum in Liverpool, presented by space medicine scientist Dr Kevin Fong.
Video questions were sent in from 7,000 pupils and a lucky few were picked to speak to Major Peake. The 20-minute conversation was broadcast for free through the TES website. People from 57 countries including the USA, Japan, New Zealand, Kuwait, China, Nigeria and Iceland tuned in.
This is what they saw.
Introduction: NASA sets up the live link to the International Space Station
“What can you see out of your windows?”
“Why doesn’t space have gravity?”
Follow the leader game: Tim spins around in space, and keeps going
“Does your heart beat faster in space?”
“Does the food you eat in space have a strong taste?”
Tim plays space ping pong with a water bubble
“Is there are possibility of a meteor or space junk hitting the ISS?”
“What is your favourite experiment on the space station?”
“What is your favourite button on the ISS and what does it do?”
Tim gives a final message to students watching the Cosmic Classroom
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