The Times has covered our live link with the International Space Station (ISS): watch their video here.

Sevenoaks School was thrilled to have successfully hosted a live satellite video link with the orbiting International Space Station (ISS) on 20 January 2011 during a presentation by Dr Nicholas Patrick, a NASA representative and mission specialist.

Sevenoaks is the first UK school to have attempted a live video and audio link with a space vehicle of any sort. Other schools in the UK have spoken to ISS astronauts via radio links.

Pupils from Year 7 to the Lower Sixth had won a competition to put their questions to the current crew of the laboratory. Around 400 pupils and staff watched as the astronauts, led by Captain Scott Kelly, sat facing the video camera 238 miles above the Pamoja Hall. Bobbing up and down, they answered the questions, which ranged from queries about the harmful effects of radiation to how they use the toilet in space. For 17 minutes, we glimpsed a world that was at once so similar and different from where we live, before the crew, turning somersaults, signed out with, ‘Have a great day there at Sevenoaks.’

Pupils commented that it was ‘an experience most students don’t even get a change to dream of… absolutely phenomenal’ and ‘It was surreal, inspiring, fantastic, weird… everyone present was enthralled.’ Those who put questions to the ISS crew acknowledged that they were extremely lucky to have had such an opportunity.

The live link and Dr Patrick’s presentation celebrated Sevenoaks School’s Science Week (linked to National Science and Engineering Week 2011), which is also open to pupils from local state schools.

Click here for press release and photos (scroll to the bottom of the page).