CAMAS, Wash. — Students in the Camas School District were treated to an out-of-this-world experience on Thursday: Selected 3rd through 12th graders were able to ask questions by video link with Dr. Michael Barratt, an astronaut at the International Space Station (ISS).
Barratt graduated from Camas High School in 1977.
The ability to not only speak with an astronaut, but one from Camas, had an impact on the students that took part.
“I’m walking the same halls as him, deciding the same ideas, figuring out what I want to do, and I hope to be like him one day,” said Sophie Knight, a junior at Discovery High School.
“Camas is really small; it’s not somewhere big like New York, and to be somewhere so small, and to go somewhere so big and important, I think that was really cool,” added Simone Vernon, a 6th grader.
When asked by 4th grader Ariana Rider if it takes courage for astronauts to fly in space, Barratt was happy to answer.
“You need a bit of courage — I would say you need a bit of fear as well — but mostly what you need is a lot of knowledge and a lot of understanding, so you know everything about the spaceship you are going to fly in, about the space environment, about the station you are going to fly to,” he replied.
The video call lasted about 30 minutes and was available on a YouTube livestream. In addition to the students, a former teacher of Dr. Barratt’s and a former classmate made appearances to ask questions. This is the Camas grad’s third trip to the International Space Station. He previously did missions there in both 2009 and 2011.
KGW reporter Devon Haskins was able to interview Dr. Barratt in April, asking him questions about the type of work he is doing on the International Space Station. They also discussed more of his journey from Camas to the ISS: