Students in Queens talk to astronaut Dr. Jonny Kim live at International Space Station
QUEENS (WABC) -- A group of students in Queens had the rare chance to speak to an astronaut in space on Friday.
Dr. Jonny Kim was live from the International Space Station answering all space related questions on a special video call at the auditorium of the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Kids of all ages were there, from first graders to 12th graders.
One student asked Kim if he'd always wanted to be an astronaut.
"I have not always wanted to be an astronaut, when I was a kid, I just thought those kinds of jobs were for superheroes, not for people like me," Kim said. "But with a lot of hard work, and a lot of believing in myself over the years I came to realize that if you work hard towards something and you are OK failing along the way, you can achieve great things."
Kim launched to the International Space Station in April for his very first spaceflight and is on an eight-month mission where he and other astronauts are conducting scientific research.
Kim is a child of South Korean immigrants and became an astronaut after serving as a U.S. Navy Seal, receiving the silver star and bronze star, and earning a medical degree from Harvard Medical School.
Officials say he made history by becoming the first Korean American astronaut.
The event was organized by Congresswoman Grace Meng. She serves as the top Democrat on the committee that provides annual appropriations for NASA.
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