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ROSS GIBLIN/The Dominion Post

A SPACE ODYSSEY: Caitlin Austin, 12, uses ham radio to chat with Nasa astronaut Mike Fincke on the International Space Station.

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Featherston's Caitlin Austin has had the rare privilege of speaking to a Nasa astronaut as he floated hundreds of kilometres above the Earth.

Caitlin, 12, was one of 21 pupils involved in a question and answer session with Nasa astronaut Mike Fincke, sent from their classroom at Featherston's St Theresa School to the International Space Station over ham radio yesterday.

It took the school two years to organise the 10-minute session - which is how long the space station stays above Australia and New Zealand - and they had not studied outer space since last year.

But their interest was rekindled after reports on Wednesday that Endeavour space shuttle crew member Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper had become the first woman to lose her tool bag and watch it drift off into space during a space walk.

Caitlin said the muck-up was embarrassing and that would not happen to her. "I don't think I'd be taking my bag into space, there's nothing to buy up there."

The children, aged 7 to 13, each put a pre-approved question to Mr Fincke and got some interesting responses.

For example, astronauts have to wipe themselves with a cloth instead of showering, day becomes night every 45 minutes, they sleep standing up, and no, you are not allowed to smoke or drink wine in the space station, which travels at more than 17,000 kilometres an hour.

According to Mr Fincke, a thunderstorm raging across planet Earth looks "beautiful, like fireworks going everywhere".

Louis Dotrice, 10, and Logan Van de Loo, 12, thought the interview was cool and would not mind being astronauts themselves one day. Though Caitlin thought it sounded fun, she was not so impressed. "The hard part would be coming back to Earth, it would be difficult walking. It's just gross that you can't shower ... and I'd be sleeping for more than 45 minutes."

St Theresa's principal Carol Pilcher said the children were excited about the broadcast.

"They've been asking lots of questions but, after this, their interest will snowball. To think that it's using radio that's been around for years, not hi-tech video or anything like that."

The broadcast was organised by local ham-radio boffins as part of a joint international programme between amateur radio and Nasa.

- © Fairfax NZ News