Ground control to space station... this is the Queen... come in please

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It was a royal visit that gave the Queen the chance to experience an uplifting exchange with astronauts.

It was also an opportunity for Prince Philip to address a more down-to-earth issue.

After she marvelled at their exploits, he posed the question, How to answer the call of nature during space walks?

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Having arrived at the Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland on the last day of her state visit to the U.S., she watched as the International Space Station, 250 miles above, used a live video link-up to speak to the royal guest.

The Queen, in a pale green hat, looked up at the giant screen showing three astronauts - the Russians Fyodor Yurchikin and Oleg Kotov and American Suni Williams - in their space jumpsuits.

Williams, who has been in space for five months, told her the station was a 'wonderful place to live'. She added, "We are carrying out a myriad of experiments to prepare to live in space for a long period of time."

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The Queen looks wide-eyed as NASA astronaut Mike Foale, right, introduces her to the crew aboard the International Space Station during her visit to NASA's Goddard Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S.

Cosmonaut Kotov told her, "It is great to see you are interested in this programme. Thank you for this very great day."

British astronaut Michael Foale - acting as the Queen's personal guide - chatted with the space station. After being told it was directly over the U.S. and would soon be orbiting over the UK, she told Foale, "That is wonderful."

As America's top space scientists explained plans to return to the moon and send men to Mars, the Queen said, "Fascinating, absolutely fascinating."

Later, she and her husband toured the visitors' centre where they were introduced to another British astronaut, Piers Sellers, who has been on six space walks.

Prince Philip tugged on his sleeve and said, "He's been on space walks."

Sellers chatted with the prince and pointed out a white NASA space suit.

Philip seemed fascinated with the space walks and asked Sellers, "What do you do about natural functions?"

Sellers told him he wore an adult nappy - but waited until he was back inside the space station.

Later he said, "It was a good question to ask.

"I told him that I would wait for ten hours and then once back inside get someone to help me off with the suit and rush to the bathroom."

 

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