Children who dream of becoming astronauts one day should know that living in space requires two hours of exercise a day, a steady diet of tortillas —bread crumbles too easily in space — and being away from home for months at a time.

None of that seemed to deter students at Parkland Magnet Middle School for Aerospace Technology in Aspen Hill, as they sat in rapt attention as six members of the International Space Station appeared on a giant movie screen to answer questions about life in outer space.

The Parkland students joined their peers at Washington Mathematics Science Technology Public Charter High School for the multilingual chat with the astronauts on Thursday at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

The event, which included a visit from three astronauts who recently returned to Earth, was held in celebration of International Education Week. The program is a joint initiative of the departments of State and Education that began in 2000 and aims to promote international understanding and build support for exchange programs.

Don Thomas, director of Towson University's Hackerman Academy of Mathematics and Science and a former astronaut, said the International Space Station, which went into orbit in 2000, is a primary example of how international relationships have led to scientific gains in space.

The next big challenge is to set foot on Mars, a feat Thomas said he is sure will happen with international cooperation.

"I challenge you when you see this picture of these two astronauts, don't think of the astronauts here today — think of yourselves there," he said of an artist's rendering of two astronauts landing on Mars.

With eyes glued to the giant screen, the students fell silent as the Expedition 21 crew appeared moments later. The astronauts bobbed gently in the air as they fielded students' questions, which were posed in French, Russian, German and English.

The sound and picture quality were so vivid that it almost appeared as if the astronauts were in the same room and not thousands of miles above Earth.

Kate Lipman, 12, an eighth-grader at Parkland, asked Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert "Bob" Thirsk in French why he thought it was important for astronauts of different nationalities to work together.

"Each individual member brings a different experience or different point of view," Thirsk said. "And if we can do this in orbit, why can't we do this on Earth as well? [We could] try to attack some of the significant world problems, like health problems, environmental problems, as international members."

Andrew VanderWeele, also an eighth-grader at Parkland, wanted to know how European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne prepared to go to space. The 13-year-old from Silver Spring said later that he may consider a career as an astronaut.

De Winne answered that it took three to four years to train for the mission, which proved to be a rigorous experience.

"One aspect is theoretical training where you learn all the systems that are on board of the International Space Station here," De Winne said. "There is also practical training where you learn to work with the different equipment — how to do water sampling, for example, and how to perform certain experiments."

He added there is additional physical training to get the body ready for living in space and some medical testing.

Parkland Principal Benjamin OuYang said the school was selected because of its magnet program. A majority of the 91 students chosen to attend were part of a French honors class or robotics classes, he said. The rest had gotten straight A's or spoke at least one language other than English.

Five Parkland students visited the White House in March to talk with astronauts aboard the space station.

OuYang told the audience he thinks the event, which was also sponsored by NASA, will make students even more motivated to study math, science and technology.

"Opportunities like this make for great future scientists, great future astronauts and great future educators," he said. "So please don't stop pursuing your dreams, everyone."