An out-of-this-world opportunity, as campers at the Kopernik Observatory got the chance to speak with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station. 

The campers of Kopernik's "Welcome Aboard the ISS" camp only had 11 minutes to speak with in-space astronaut Matthew Dominic as the International Space Station flew over the Southern Tier. 

"Well, arguably, this is sort of like, you know, if you get a chance to ask a question of your hero, you know, you certainly jump to that, and this is sort of that kind of an opportunity," Executive Director of Kopernik Observatory Drew Deskur said. 

Leading up to today, campers have been learning  what it takes to become an astronaut, the training to prepare for a mission, and the work that takes place on the ISS. The campers used Kopernik's amateur radio station to directly communicate with the radio station aboard the ISS.

They asked about life in space, Dominic's job, and even what inspired Dominic to become an astronaut. For camper Kaida Reynolds, one thought came to mind.

"When you go off into space, the astronauts, it builds muscle mass and bone density. But if you use artificial gravity, it could just basically solve those problems," Reynolds said.

But it wasn't just a remarkable day for the campers, as Deskur says the chance to speak to someone in space is like no other. 

"For me, it was just the fact that I'm talking to somebody who's in our space. I mean, that is just unbelievable," Deskur said.