A science teacher born and bred in Abergavenny recently made history by successfully organising the first ever live satellite video link between a UK school and an orbiting international space station.

Former KHS pupil Graeme Lawrie, who is now head of science and technology at the Sevenoaks School in Kent, spent eight months organising the event which was to become the highlight in the school's science week.

Some 400 pupils and staff watched as the astronauts, led by Captain Scott Kelly, sat facing the video camera 238 miles above the school.

Bobbing up and down, the spacemen answered the earthlings' questions, which ranged from queries about the harmful effects of radiation to how they use a toilet in outer space.

The captive audience learned about the work the astronauts do, as well as gaining insight into life onboard a space station.

The link lasted for a fascinating 17 minutes, before the crew, turning somersaults, signed out with, 'Have a great day there at Sevenoaks.'

A celebratory 33-year-old Graeme told the Chronicle, "It was an experience most students don't even get a change to dream of. Three weeks later and the kids are still talking about it.

"The very next day I had over five thousand emails asking me about the experience.

"It was absolutely phenomenal. Words cannot describe how surreal, inspiring, fantastic, weird, and quite literally - how out of this world it was."