HOUSTON – Students at Mary Marek Elementary got the phone call of a lifetime Monday morning. They got to talk with astronauts in space through our KPRC Local 2 live satellite feed.
Students had a blast asking questions to Expedition 35 Flight Engineers Tom Marshburn and Chris Cassidy. One student asked the astronauts how space made their bodies different.
"Space does make your body different," said Marshburn. "One of the main reasons is because we don't have gravity. Muscles don't have to work that hard. So our bodies start to absorb away our bones. We kind of start to turn into jellyfish."
Marshburn's daughter, Grace, is a student at Mary Marek.
"It's pretty interesting, because just communicating with someone from space and him being your dad!" said Grace.
Marshburn's wife was also there and spoke about her husband's work.
"He and his crew mates have put in a lot of work and a lot of long hours, a lot of traveling and a lot of time away from family, but it's all worth it," said Ann Marshburn. "We're incredibly proud of him and all of his crewmates."
The 20-minute phone call inspired students, sparking a fascination for science and space.
"I was always thinking how they slept," student Samah Haidar said. "It was cool they slept in a bag and it kept them there. I didn't know they had to exercise up there."
For more information on the International Space Station and the Expedition 35 crew on board, visit NASA's website.