A young space enthusiast got to meet a living legend on Thursday.

Bill Shepherd, a former NASA astronaut and Navy SEAL, surprised 11-year-old Derek Cardenas, who is living with spinal muscular atrophy, at the Cradle of Aviation in Uniondale.

Shepherd, who considers Babylon his hometown, flew on three Space Shuttle missions before making history as the first commander of the International Space Station. He and the inaugural crew worked and lived on the celestial station during Expedition 1.

Shepherd went through the museum with Cardenas to discuss and explain some of the exhibits,

Derek's mom told News 12 he loves learning, especially about rockets, and that "his heart is in space."

The surprise was made possible by the Marty Lyons Foundation.