GREEN BAY, Wis.— A group of Green Bay elementary students got a special treat on Friday. They interacted with an astronaut currently aboard the International Space Station.

Astronaut Mark Vande Hei took some time for a virtual visit with about 423 students at McAuliffe Elementary. A few lucky kids were chosen to ask him a question.

“I really enjoyed seeing him float and being like, 'Oh it’s real. He can actually float because it was so cool,'” said Kara Green, a 5th-grade student.

What You Need To Know

  • McAuliffe Elementary named after teacher Christa McAuliffe who died in the Challenger tragedy

  • Astronaut Mark Vande Hei spent over 280 days aboard International Space Station

  • Students asked questions during a virtual visit on Friday the 36 anniversary of the Challenger Incident

Vande Hei is a bit of an expert at floating now. He’s been aboard the space station for over 280 days.

“Basically, I’m in gravity but we’re just falling all the time. The room is falling. That’s what makes me able to do things like this,” explained Vande Hei.

He’s on track to break the record for the longest consecutive time an American has been in space. Students wanted to know what he ate, what he did for fun in space and more.

“'What do you feel? What training do you have to go through? What do the machines do and how much do you have to control?' It’s just very cool,” said Caleb Nelson, a 4th-grade student.

Interacting virtually with someone who’s aboard the space station brought the school together.

“We can read about it. We can look at videos but to have a live astronaut from the international space station talk to us and answer the questions from our students was extra special,” said Kelly Rollin, McAuliffe Elementary principal.

Staff and students at the school have a unique perspective when it comes to space.

The school is named for Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who while aboard the space shuttle, lost her life in the Challenger explosion 36 years ago.

Michelle McVane works as a speech and language pathologist at the school. She’s also Vande Hei’s cousin and helped set things up with NASA.

“It was a secret and then it came out and as it got bigger and bigger the excitement in the school just grew until today, kids were just like buzzing with excitement,” said McVane.

Students were still buzzing after Vande Hei signed off.

“Some of those kids that come out of there were smiling from ear to ear and thinking, 'Hey, I can do something like that,'” said Vande Hei.

McVane learned one of the students attended a space camp.

“I didn’t know that,” said McVane. “He’s got a desire to be an astronaut. He just doesn’t want to be away from home that long”

Fourth-grader Ethan Ford thought about future careers. He decided that if he needed money right away, he'd work in a restaurant, but he may try something else too.

“If I really wanted to do something, I think it would probably have to be an astronaut,” explained Ford. “I just think it’s so cool to go in space and do all the crazy stuff.”

An inspiring day for kids thanks to an astronaut and his cousin.