“Out of this world:” Las Cruces kids chat with astronaut in space

Las Cruces students had the opportunity to chat with an astronaut via a television stream at the International Space Station on Tuesday morning.

“It was beyond incredible,” said Danya Harris, an incoming fourth grader at Holy Cross Catholic School. “Just to talk to someone who was floating around in micro-gravity is a very rare experience.”

Las Cruces was one of 16 cities around the country to participate this year. Multiple students got to ask questions of Ricky Arnold, an astronaut floating more than 250 miles above Earth. The signal was incredibly strong at the Las Cruces City Hall, where the event took place.

“How can it reach up to space?” asked Zoie Harris, an incoming first grader at Holy Cross Catholic School. “I mean, it’s amazing to talk to Ricky. It’s just amazing.”

The crowd was dazzled when Arnold performed flips mid-air with zero effort aboard the International Space Station.

“It’s really a fun thing to experience micro-gravity,” Arnold said. “I just wish everyone could experience the joy of doing this.”