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Helston Community College students have Lift Off!

1st November 2017

Pupils from Helston Community College had a special visitor beamed into class recently to talk to them about space. Canadian astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield joined the lucky students for a 30 minute Skype interview session. The students from Year 7 to 11 had the opportunity to ask him a question each, with topics ranging from 'What is it like to sleep in space?', to 'Do you think it will be possible to inhabit Mars one day?'

The event was organised by Science teacher Dr James Allen who worked with Chris Hadfield during the filming of the TV programme Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes in which Dr Allen finished in the top four.

One of the students who asked Chris a question during the interview was Toby Allen who was interested to find out what it was like to re-enter the Earth's Atmosphere. He was surprised to find out that Chris 'could see flames coming off of the shuttle outside his window'. Toby said: "The interview was a once in a lifetime opportunity, it has really inspired me to become a pilot when I leave school", which is what Chris was before he became an astronaut.

It was a fantastic event and in answer to one of the questions above, sleeping in space is 'immensely comfortable with every muscle in the body being relaxed' and Chris does believe that one day we will inhabit Mars, based on the fact that when he was born people had not even been to space.