Pupils across Kent spoke to British astronaut Tim Peake live on board the International Space Station (ISS) today.

An out-of-this-world experience was had by youngsters from 23 schools after they arrived at Wellesley House School in Broadstairs.

There were a few heart-in-mouth moments as connections were established and the amateur radio societies worked hard to link with the space station 400km above the earth.

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However, it was smiles all round when seven-year-old Scarlet from Wellesley House grilled Tim about a William Shakespeare quote that best summed up his time aboard the ISS.

She said: "I was very excited about asking Tim Peake my question and I was really happy when he smiled after I asked him about Shakespeare."

Wellesley House School science teacher and lead organiser for the space extravaganza Kerry Sabin-Dawson masterminded the whole project.

She said: "This has been more than a year in the planning, we sent off an application thinking, if you're not in it you won't win it.

"We got through to round two and we had a second application with far more detail, amazingly we got chosen as one of the 10 schools and we were mind blown by it.

"There were very tense moments at the start and the problem was this is amateur radio, there's no trickery, there was a problem but they dealt with it.

"I'm glad I wasn't on the stage having to do it, we actually swapped channels twice before Tim spoke to us.

"Tim answered a few questioned and smiled and I am really glad we got to invite so many schools to inspire their children too."

The pupils space extravaganza began at 9am and involved a planetarium, a spaceflight, a spacesuit and astronomy with the Royal Observatory.

Wellesley House School headmaster Simon O’Malley said: “This is awesome. There has been an incredible buzz around the school since the launch in November.

"I genuinely hope it really inspires children who maybe didn't think they were scientists, engineers, mathematicians but who now think they can be.”

Britain’s newest potential space cadets also took part in an astronaut boot camp.

Collaboration between amateur radio on the International Space Station (ARISS), the Radio Society of Great Britain (RGSB), the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency has meant this is possible.

Major Tim Peake blasted off from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in November 2015.

He is nearing the end of a six-month project on the International Space Station.

It is the first time a British astronaut has stayed on the International Space Station in an official capacity.