• 09/03/2023
  • By wizewebsite
  • 346 Views

Journalist and teacher sensation: children from Bruntálsk interviewed the famous astronaut<

The result is a great interview "Houston, we have some questions!", which you can also read below on this page.

Astronaut Feustel: The view of Earth from space will take your breath away

Teacher Jaroslav Konvička wants to motivate children to learn English. Astronaut Andrew J. Feustel wants the youngest generation to be interested in science and space. Children are specialists in asking questions of adults. When an astronaut, an English teacher and the children of Brantic joined forces together, a remarkable interview was created that can interest both children and adults.

Of course, the director of the small class, Adam Šimůnek, could not be absent either. He asked the astronaut the first question to show the children that they don't have to be nervous when they want to speak English to an American. After all, he is the likable cosmonaut who took the Mole to the stars!

Source: Youtube

Jaroslav Konvička did not underestimate the preparation. Every lesson he practiced with the children the English questions they wanted to ask Feustel. He wanted to be sure that the American would understand his students during the video call. Feustel broke the initial tension when he greeted the children in Czech from the monitor. His wife's family comes from Znojmo.

Interview with astronaut A. Feustel

Interview with astronaut Andrew J. Feustel, conducted by 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students and the principal of Brantice Elementary School on December 2, 2021.

Director Adam Šimůnek: What is it like to return from space? What are your feelings? Do you miss him?“It's a strange feeling. A jolt of gravity I hadn't felt before. I miss space a lot. That picture you see behind me is actually the scene you look at every day from the space station. You miss such a view when you return to Earth. It makes a big difference because on Earth you actually have to look up to see the sky. You look down at Earth from the space station and you see this, which is in that photo.”

American astronaut Andrew Feustel took a picture of Prague from the ISS space station

Honzík: What is it like to be in space? "Being in space is actually like a dream. It is also very difficult to describe in words. No one on earth has such an experience. An experience you only get when you're there. I would probably compare it to swimming in water, how you float in that space.”

Šimon: What is it like during the launch of the rocket? "The entire launch lasts about eight minutes. It's about as exciting as a mountain dam. Everything around you is shaking, there is noise. In short, it's exciting".

Kristýnka: Why did the Mole fly into space? Did he stay there? “The mole is no longer in space, but he was there twice. In 2011 and 2018, when he spent half a year on the space station. And the reason why he was there? To get children and young people interested in space exploration. So that the children can see that even the little stuffed Mole can do it, and even twice."

The astronaut who took Kreček into space is in Prague

Adam: What does it feel like to step into space?“To take a walk in space is very difficult, and you usually have to train for two to three years. The suit is very heavy, but only when you are on the ground. When you go out into space in it, where there is no gravity, it weighs nothing at all.”

Journalistic and teacher sensation: children from Bruntálsk they interviewed a famous astronaut

Bětka: How long was your training before you became an astronaut? "I have been an astronaut for 21 years. Every time I fly into space, I have to train for two to three years before each mission. That's how long it takes to train, and then it's time to fly."

Matýsek: Why did you become an astronaut? "When I was about the same age as you, I dreamed of flying to the stars. When it came true, and I flew into space for the first time, I took Jan Neruda's poetry collection Space Songs with me. It also has a story about frogs. One of them asked: Are there frogs in space too?'

The ISS incident escalates. The Americans drilled the hole, the Russians claim

Peta: What is it like in zero gravity? "How many of you have already swum in a pool underwater? Next time you're diving, try to hold your breath and just be there. You'll see what it's like when you're not actually diving, but you're not swimming on the surface either. That's what it's like in zero gravity. Nothing pushes you to the ground and you just hang there in space. Imagine being in a classroom where you can just walk around instead of walking. In a class like this, it doesn't matter if you're upside down or upside down. You can have any position anywhere. This is what it looks like in space without gravity. It's strange and magical at the same time.'

Elenka: What do you do as an astronaut when you are not in space? "An astronaut's job, which is not in space, is to support astronauts who are preparing for missions or to monitor colleagues who are currently in space. They must also keep themselves in good physical condition and take care of their abilities. They must be ready the next time they fly there. There is a spacewalk going on right now. I was in the control room to support them. I'll be back there again after this interview is over. It's actually in the next room. You could also watch live broadcasts from space or rocket launches and landings at your school.”

Feustel is back on Earth. He dealt with the hole scandal on the ISS, took a photo from space of the Czech Republic

Péťa: How to become an astronaut?“You can become an astronaut if you stay in school as long as possible and study science, technology and mathematics. It is certainly good to study and work on yourself. You will find that as you grow older, there will be more and more chances to look into space. A lot of other companies are now being created that will offer it. And if you don't get directly into space, you might have the opportunity to work on such a space program. Please raise your hand who is interested in science and space research. If the Mole was in space, you can too."

Elenka: Do you speak Czech? "Yes, I can speak Czech, but only a little. Just a little, really.'

Péťa: What is it like to sleep in space? "Sleeping in space is very interesting because you are always flying around. When you sleep on a bed at home, you feel comfortable as gravity places you on the surface of the bed. In space, you never feel like you're laying down in bed. Your muscles feel that the body is floating. In the photo, you don't see Mole lying in bed, but chained up in the sleeping cabin. It looks like a phone booth, not a bed. When we go to sleep, we crawl inside, then into the sleeping bag, and close up. There is no difference in sensation, like when you go to lie down or stand at home on Earth. The only difference between waking and sleeping is that we can switch off. Then the body knows to go to sleep. Sometimes it's hard enough to fall asleep.'

We'll go back to the moon and fly to Mars, says astronaut Andrew Feustel

Honza: How do you move in a spacesuit?“All the movements in the spacesuit when we go into space and are outside are controlled only by hands. Even though it's called space walking, in reality we're not walking at all, we're controlling everything with our hands. The most interesting part of a space walk is when you are holding the space station with one hand from the outside, and at the same time you are looking hundreds of kilometers down to Earth. In doing so, you know that your hand is the only thing connecting you to the space station. It can also be a very tiring shift when you're doing a spacewalk. How many times do you have to spend six or seven hours in a spacesuit out in space fixing something. It's as long as spending a day at school, except you're in a spacesuit.”

Péta: How do you feel during the landing? "You have good English, Petra, and the correct pronunciation. The landing is interesting for two reasons. The first is so mental. When you land, you know you are returning to your families. When it comes to bodily sensations, it depends on what you land on. Landing in the shuttle is like a normal airplane. But when you land in a Soyuz, you sit in a small capsule that lands using parachutes. That's how you hit the ground.”

An astronaut brought to Terezín a drawing of a Jewish boy that was in space

Peta: Did you see any aliens up there? "I didn't see any aliens, but I am convinced that somewhere in space there will be some. We believe that the universe is infinite, so it would be strange if no life existed apart from us. I haven't even heard of anyone else seeing aliens in space. But missions to Mars are already being planned, and it is possible that when we take samples, some microbes and at least a little bacterial life will be found there. This could be the beginning of an introduction to extraterrestrial life. It would be great."

Matýsek: Do you have a pet at home? "I don't have any pets, but I have friends who have them. Actually, I would really like to have a pet. But I have to train a lot and I need a lot of time to work, so I wouldn't be able to devote myself to them."

One day we will live on another planet, American astronaut Feustel

Ondra said in Brno: Have you ever met Elon Musk? "Yes, we have. I had a very long conversation with him about hydrogen powered cars. I also spoke with him about the two rocket missions that belong to SpaceX. When his Dragon rocket first launched and then on one of the other missions.'

To say goodbye, Andrew J. Feustel showed the children a picture of Prague that he took with his own hands from the space station. Pupils stood around the monitor and took a small class photo with the astronaut.

"The pupils finally saw the real reason why they have English in the timetable. It was a great experience for them and motivation for the future," Jaroslav Konvička commented on his original method of teaching English.