Students in England and Wales connected last week with an unusual cultural institution: the International Space Station. Major Tim Peake, a British astronaut who has been living at the ISS since mid-December, used a live video stream to talk with students gathered at the World Museum in Liverpool and in schools across the country. As students listened eagerly, he answered questions about eating and drinking in space (bland, but fun); his favorite science experiment in the ISS (growing plants); and his favorite button (it opens the door to outer space).

The talk was part of the Cosmic Classroom event, which also included science experiments and a planetarium show for students at the museum. A live video stream and an online collection of resources made the event accessible to educators who lacked the resources to bring their students to the museum itself. Connecting with any cultural institution brings exciting opportunities, and Major Peake’s talk shows that learning can take place anywhere in the world.

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