GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up and they will tell you, a movie director, an actor, a firefighter, or even an astronaut, but for students at McAuliffe Elementary School the dream of going to space was broadcast right into their school when they asked an astronaut on the international space station questions.

Some students asked, “What do you do for fun in space? What do you eat in space? What is your favorite meal? And does the food come mostly in bags?”

Michelle McVane, the school’s Speech and Language Pathologist, and Mark Vande Hei’s cousin helped organize the entire event.

She said, “[I am] definitely proud of Mark and his accomplishments. Excitement and there’s a little fear and joy. Just joy knowing he’s up there every day doing what he loves.”

Vande Hei will soon be the longest American in space having served 353 days on this mission upon completion.

School staff says experiences like these can help students to love math and science.

Principal Kelly Rollin said, “For them to hear that astronaut, Mark, talk about his experiences in becoming an astronaut and what it was like on the space station. What it was like getting there. What it was like training for that might get them to want to do that.”

The kids say hearing from an astronaut while he was still in space was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Caleb Nelson, 4th grader said, “When our teacher told us we could maybe talk to an astronaut it was awesome. And I never thought I would actually be able to talk to an astronaut.”

Kara Green, a 5th grader who also asked Vande Hei a question said, “I really enjoyed seeing him float and being like oh it’s real he can actually float because it was so cool.”

“It was just so unbelievable. Like she said it’s a once in a lifetime thing and it probably won’t ever happen again,” said Ethan Ford, another student who was picked to ask a question.

The program was shown to all of the kids in McAuliffe Elementary School.

Students at McAuliffe Elementary had the chance of a lifetime to talk to an astronaut currently in the international space station.