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Estes Park Students Talk To Astronaut Shannon Walker On International Space Station Using Ham Radio

ESTES PARK, Colo. (CBS4) - Students at Estes Park Elementary School got an out-of-this-world experience on Friday. The Junior Bobcats talked to astronaut Shannon Walker as the International Space Station flew over Estes Park.

Shannon Walker
NASA astronaut Shannon Walker (Photo by GREGG NEWTON/Gregg Newton/AFP via Getty Images)

It happened just after 10 a.m., and the fifth graders used a ham radio to ask the questions. Included among those was one posed by Ranetta.

"What is the most awesome sight that you have seen on the Earth or in space from the ISS?" she said.

Shannon Walker
(credit: NASA)

"Ranetta, there are so many wonderful things to see from space. I think on the nightside when it's night outside, I like to look at the universe and the Milky Way is absolutely stunning because there are so many stars. ... Also at night looking down on the Earth, the amount of thunderstorms you can see is pretty amazing. During the day, just the beautiful colors of our planet ... is really stunning to me."

The last time a Colorado school was chosen for this honor was back in 2011.

You can watch the complete conversation between Walker and the students on YouTube.

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