Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli talks to Camp Anchor participants from space

It was a virtual homecoming of sorts for astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli on Sunday as she beamed into the Lido Beach Administration Building from space and answered questions from members of Camp Anchor, where she had volunteered as a teen.

Moghbeli, who graduated from Baldwin Senior High School in 2001, talked about the flight to space, her daily routine on the International Space Station, the unexpected joys of eating and drinking in zero gravity and the challenges of answering nature’s call.

“I’m super excited to be talking to you all,” she told the crowd that included current and former campers, as well as local officials. “I did want to show you I have my Camp Anchor shirt on.”

She pledged to come visit in person and return the shirt to them so they have a souvenir of her time in space.

The year-round Camp Anchor program serves 1,200 children and adults with special needs, officials said.

“It’s really special that someone who has gone this far in life has stayed in touch with her roots and wants to give back to something that clearly impacted her,” said Colin Hintze, senior camp director who volunteered with Moghbeli in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Hintze organized the video chat and read aloud the questions submitted by participants.

The crowd laughed as Moghbeli responded to questions about eating in space by drinking a bubble of water and catching candy-coated peanuts as they floated in the air.

“The best part about eating in space is you get to play with your food,” she joked.

Moghbeli’s impressive path to NASA includes receiving her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in California. She was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and trained as a naval aviator before being deployed to Afghanistan with the Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367. She attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Maryland and was selected by NASA to join the 2017 astronaut candidate class.

According to NASA, Moghbeli has more than 150 combat missions and 2,000 hours of flight time in over 25 different aircraft.

When asked how Earth looks from space, Moghbeli said she was awe-struck.

“Our planet is spectacular and so, so beautiful,” she said.

When another participant asked when Moghbeli knew she wanted to become an astronaut, the answer went back to a sixth-grade book report about Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova who became the first woman to travel into space in 1963.

“I always thought exploration was really exciting and adventurous,” Moghbeli said.

Moghbeli was asked if future astronauts need to excel in subjects such as math, science and physics.

“Because we live and work in space, you have to be good at a little bit of everything,” she responded. “If someone gets sick, we have to take care of them. If something breaks, we have to be able to fix it.”

But the real key is camaraderie with the other astronauts you work and live with while on the space station.

“Getting along with each other is one of the most important things to making us happy and successful up here,” she said.

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.