Boys and girls, we are live with NASA, Anne Thomson said as an image of the control centre in Houston flashed up on a giant screen.
There were a few ahhhs, and ooooohs as the students in Mamquam Elementary school's gymnasium fell silent. But it didn't last. As soon as the music teacher tapped into the video feed of International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield live from space, the youth erupted in excited applause.
The Canadian astronaut was wearing a red T-shirt. Floating beside him was a guitar. Hadfield and 500,000 students across Canada were about to make history.
On Monday (May 6), 400 kilometres above the Earth, Hadfield led a singalong as a part of Music Monday, an annual celebration in schools led by the Coalition for Music Education. The concert marked Hadfield's final live link from the space station before he returns home on May 13 after five months in orbit.
Despite a few interruptions in the Internet feed, the song, written by Hadfield and Barenaked Ladies singer Ed Robertson, kicked off at 9:30 p.m. The tune ISS Is Somebody Singing? describes the launch of a rocket and an astronaut's journey around the planet.
The students, who had practiced the song in preparation for the big day, belted out the chorus:
So, sing your song, I'm listening out where stars are glistening, I can hear your voices bouncing off the moon. If you could see our nation from the International Space Station, you'd know why I want to get back soon.
Once Hadfield had waved his goodbye, 10-year-old Tanner Burnham was still buzzing from the event.
It was awesome, he said.
He learned about Hadfield and the Canadian Space Agency in classes leading up to the singalong. Singing with Hadfield and thousands of people at the same time was an unforgettable experience, Burnham noted, adding he thinks it would be more difficult to play a guitar in space.
Although interesting, space travel isn't on Burnham's future to-do-list, he said.
[In space], I don't get to enjoy the fun down here, Burnham said.
The event was inspiring, Thomson said. Even throughout the Internet glitches, students remained quiet in anticipation of the live feed's return, she said. It's a day Thomson won't forget.
Everyone singing together, that feeling of connection in the room with Chris Hadfield, Thomson exclaimed. There he was in space.
Hadfield has helped generate interest in space and the International Space Station through a stream of social media events. Earlier this month, Hadfield answered questions live from students in the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station Program an initiative aimed at inspiring students to pursue careers in science and technology.
Watch the action -
