Astro Kate visits old Napa high school after trip to space

NAPA, Calif. (KGO) -- From NASA to Napa, it was quite a homecoming for an astronaut who made the journey back to her old high school.

After talking to students and ABC7 News reporter Jonathan Bloom from space last fall, Kate Rubins finally got to meet them face-to-face.

RELATED: Napa's astronaut Kate Rubins speaks with old high school from ISS

Of all the students who've graduated from Vintage High School, she's the only one who's been to space and back.

But oh, the stories she can tell. ABC7 News spoke to her at the start of her mission and watched her answer students' questions from orbit.

But meeting her face-to-face, they were excited to find an astronaut can be so down-to-Earth.

RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Napa native on 1st space mission aboard ISS

She answered questions about her study of heart cells under a microscope and the lessons she learned about eating in space, even questions about grad school.

Perhaps her greatest challenge was returning to Earth.

She also became conscious of this - on a space station here many languages are spoken, they can see the whole planet. But what they can't see are borders.