Axminster children connect with space station

Space cadets link live with astronaut

Children from Axminister Primary School have connected live with the International Space Station (ISS). 

The school was chosen from scores of others around the UK to speak with astronaut Matthew Dominick.

Headteacher Claire Hulbert says that, with the help of Amateur Radio for the International Space Station (ARISS), they built an antenna taller than the two-storey school. 

Children asked Mr Dominick about the kind of training and exercise the astronauts are put through as well as how they vote in space. 

He explained that he uses a representative on earth to cast his vote and has to do two and a half hours of training to keep his blood circulating. 

He said the 18 months of training on earth was much harder than in space.

Axminster pupils Jack and Teddy, both 11, said the experience was ‘unreal’ and that they never thought that it would be possible to hear “sound from space.”

Immy (who can be seen in the attached video clip) and Neila, also 11, said they had all “been looking forward to it for ages” and they would “love to do it again.”

Ms Hulbert believes the experience could be a ‘launchpad’ for children to boost theu career ambitions and that the class had discussed the prospects for future engineers, test pilots, journalists, radio operators and, naturally, astronauts.