EXCLUSIVE: Former astronaut Scott Kelly shares experiences in space with Berkeley students

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- A group of students in Berkeley got a firsthand account of what it's like to explore and live in outer space.

With his feet firmly planted on the ground, retired astronaut Scott Kelly arrived to share his experiences with the students at Berkeley's School of the Madeleine. Many of them wondering, what was the best part?

FULL INTERVIEW: Former astronaut Scott Kelly speaks to ABC7 News

The 52-year-old Kelly and his brother Mark were both astronauts. In fact, NASA studied the twins to determine the effects of prolonged space travel on the human body.

In February, Kelly returned from the International Space Station where he spent 340 consecutive days.

"Was it scary to come back from space?" asked one student.

"It can be scary, but like I said, it's also a lot of fun," Kelly said.

RELATED: Scott Kelly embraces fresh air back on Earth

Kelly is helping to promote apps, like one called Lab4Physics and Citizen Science that allow students to conduct experiments on their smart phone and other devices.

"STEM education and the Citizen Science initiative is very important to getting kids to study science because it is so important to our economy and our future," Kelly said.

It's a message students say they heard loud and clear.

RELATED: Scott Kelly returns to Earth after 340 days in space

"If we don't study it, then our whole society, I personally believe, will fall apart," said Lila Higley of the School of the Madeleine.

Anthony: "Does it make you want to study science and technology and maybe be an astronaut?"

Student Nate Dolan: "Yeah, having no gravity sounds pretty awesome."

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