Air Force Academy cadets talk with astronaut aboard the International Space Station

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- From aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Air Force Colonel Raja Chari connected with cadets at the Air Force Academy.

"It’s really cool to see, and kind of inspiring, makes it more realistic to see that it’s something that can happen," said Courtney Kirkpatrick, a senior at the Air Force Academy.

Chari is a member of the Class of 1999 and shares the same experiences many of the cadets sitting in class are getting now. During his talk, he answered some of their prerecorded questions.

"Considering he was in our shoes about 22 years ago as an Astro major and as someone graduating from the same squadron as him, it’s really inspiring to see him up there on the International Space Station," said Thomas McLean, a senior at the Air Force Academy.

Leaders at the academy say connecting students with Chari gives cadets a unique learning experience and will hopefully push them towards their goals.

"It’s been my lifetime goal just to study space, specifically the moon and the future that we have with Mars. To keep that momentum going for America and the whole world, just to be a part of that I would love to do that," said Kaitlin Roberts, a senior at the Air Force Academy.

"I think there’s a lot of future potential in both the Air Force and places like NASA, so I decided to go into astronomics to hopefully pursue a similar career, pilot, and then go from there, similar to Colonel Chari," said McLean.

The Astro department says they continually keep in touch with NASA so when they do have alumni go through, cadets can enjoy these special opportunities.

The Air Force Academy currently has 40 graduates who are astronauts.