Pupils at an Abu Dhabi school learnt about the challenges of travelling through space in a video call with a Nasa astronaut.
Close to 200 children aged from 4 to 18 at Brighton College Abu Dhabi were given the lowdown on a life reaching for the stars by Michael Fincke, who once held the record for the most time spent in space by an American – a staggering 381 days.
The unique departure from the school timetable was particularly timely as the Hope probe's mission to Mars reaches its crucial final stages over the next week.
Enthused pupils prepared 100 questions for their special caller, but had enough time to ask only 25.
Christopher Greenfield, a physics teacher at the college organised the event to pique pupils' interest in space exploration.
"The UAE Space Agency is very active, particularly looking at the Mars mission," Mr Greenfield said.
"I have a strong interest in the current Mars mission and when pupils return to class, we will be following the developments.
"The space agency is at our doorstep and I want to get pupils involved."
The Hope probe is reaching the most complex part of its mission, which is the entry into orbit around Mars on February 9.
Mr Greenfield previously worked as a head teacher at Nasa's international space school where he interacted with many astronauts.
He wanted pupils to engage with astronauts so they could get a first-hand account of what it was like to be in space.
"I want my pupils to become astronauts and space explorers in the future," he said.
Pupils asked the astronaut about the most challenging thing about going to space, to which he answered it was missing his family.
They asked Mr Fincke about how birthdays are celebrated and what his favourite food in space was.
When asked about one thing he would like to take to the International Space Station, he said although it would not be possible he would love to take his family.