Pupils at Budbrooke Primary School in Hampton Magna first spoke to space tourist Richard Garriott when he was orbiting the earth hundreds of miles above them in the International Space Station last October.

But on Wednesday, they were able to ask the British-born American questions in the flesh when he fulfilled a promise to visit their school.

Dressed in a blue space suit, Mr Garriott chatted to around 20 pupils, aged five to 11, who wanted to know about everything from what he ate to how he slept in space.

Head teacher Carol Taylor said: "The idea of space is such an abstract concept for children, so the fact that we got to talk to Richard Garriott when he was in space was a tremendous privilege.

"But for him to then visit the school put all the pieces of the jigsaw together and the children were able to meet their very own spaceman."

Mr Garriott, whose father Owen was an astronaut and was in the UK for a week to attend space conferences, told the youngsters that Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong - the first men on the moon - lived near him when he was growing up so he thought space travel was normal.

When asked whether he would like to blast off in a rocket again, the computer games entrepreneur, who paid millions to visit the station, said 'space skydiving' was at the top of his list.

The school's contact with Mr Garriott came about because of the fact that one pupil's father, Ciaran Morgan, holds an amateur radio licence.

When his son Matthew learned that it could help him speak to astronauts, he raised the idea at his next school council meeting and the school submitted an application to a NASA radio project.

Due to the quality of the questions they hoped to ask, the school was one of only four in the world given the opportunity to speak to Mr Garriott.

Mr Morgan received help from AmSat amateur radio association and National Grid, where he works, to make the connection.

Here are the pupils' questions and answers:

Did you have a normal diet?
"In space, you don't burn any calories. The quality of the food has definitely got better, it's still not great though."

Is that the suit you wore while you were actually in space?
"No. It is one identical to the one that I wore, but the actual one got burnt in outer space. Any unnecessary belongings, such as clothing, are thrown from the station and burnt."

Were you comfortable?
"Yes, it is actually very comfortable on the space station. There are systems that protect you from the temperatures and stop you getting too hot or cold and all the equipment works well onboard.
"When you are sleeping though you don't sleep on beds so you have to tie yourself down to make sure you don't float off.
"I was fortunate as I wasn't really ill, I had a stuffy head though like all the blood was rushing up there. You get used to it though after a few days."

Do you think you will go back up?
"I would like to, especially as new vehicles are being developed all the time. I also want to try 'space skydiving'."

What is it like coming back to earth?
"The actual landing is like a car crash. You suddenly stop after travelling at 17,000 mph."

How did you feel when you landed?
"Once you get off you feel weak, dizzy and light headed and your sense of balance is also poor. There is no pressure in space so it's difficult re-adjusting back on earth."

Would you like to visit the moon?
"I would love to, but don't think it will be possible in my lifetime. I think it's more likely that someone from your generation will get to go."