Learning about space in the classroom is one thing; hearing about it from someone who lived there for 198 days is quite another.
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Gungahlin College students had the rare opportunity to hear about all things space, aeronautical engineering and science from former NASA astronaut Professor Greg Chamitoff on Friday.
The Canadian-born University of Sydney aeronautical engineering professor was part of two missions to the International Space Station, spending a total of 198 days in space.
He spoke at the college as part of a tour organised by the United States Embassy, taking part in what he described as one of the most important aspects of his post-astronaut career.
"There's a higher purpose and that's sharing the experience with the public, but especially with students so they can be inspired as I was," he said.
Professor Chamitoff's own inspiration stemmed from watching the Apollo 11 launch at the age of six, learning from his physics professor and hearing a university graduation speech from the commander of a space shuttle.
"It made me realise 'here's someone who went to the same school, who did that, and maybe it's actually possible'," he said.
As for living in space, Professor Chamitoff said the adjusting to zero-gravity took surprisingly little time.
"It's amazing how fast we adapt to zero gravity, so much so that after a few months you start to wonder what gravity feels like again," he said.
Motivating students to move into STEM careers was an important way of furthering the space program and helping deal with problems on Earth, according to Professor Chamitoff.
"My generation, we built the space station, and it really serves as a stepping stone for everything that's going to come next," he said.
"The students now are going to take it further. They're going to be the ones who'll take off and explore the rest of the solar system, and make our planet better."
Year 12 student Rhiannon Schembri said the talk was like learning from their own Mark Watney, the astronaut protagonist of 2015 film The Martian.
"Sometimes just sitting in the classroom you can lose touch with how important STEM is, but when you meet an astronaut or someone who worked out gravitational wave patterns, you think, 'this is amazing'."
