Commander Mike Fincke spoke with 20 students in Quispamsis, N.B., from the International Space Station on Thursday. (NASA)

Twenty students at Quispamsis Elementary and Middle Schools had an out-of-this-world experience at school on Thursday.

After four nerve-racking attempts to make contact from the school gymnasium, the students hooked up with the International Space Station and were able to have a nine-minute conversation with commander Mike Fincke using a ham radio and a large antenna.

Katie Reid, a Grade 8 student, was one of the pupils who have been waiting three years to ask a question of the American astronaut. That's how long it took for the Saint John-area school and a local amateur radio club to get permission for this chance at outer space contact.

Reid asked Fincke about his thoughts on his first mission but was a little too caught up in the moment to hear his answer.

"Oh, I didn't get to hear it well because I was so nervous and running to my seat to hear," she said. "Even though I didn't get to hear him exactly, to hear his voice, that was the coolest part, and to hear him say my name."

The students did their best to cram as many questions into the nine minutes as possible. They wanted to know what it felt like to be in outer space and whether astronauts can see lights on Earth at night. Fincke informed the kids that yes, they can see lights.

"That's one of the most beautiful things we can see up here, is when we fly over the dark side of the planet, you can see all the beautiful cities lit up. Over," he said.

Fincke told the students there's room for new Canadian astronauts on the International Space Station, and he encouraged them to pursue that goal.

Some of the students say after this experience, they may take him up on the offer.

The idea of having New Brunswick kids kibitzing with astronauts came from Greg D'Entremont, a local ham radio enthusiast. He launched a plan to work with after he heard children from the United States speaking to an astronaut on his home radio.

He applied to NASA to take part in the schools program, called Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, and was approved last October.

While the space station passed over the Quispamsis area, it allowed each student to pose one question to Fincke.