Perth pupils are enjoying an out of this world experience as part of Tayside Space School 2010.
Throughout the week, youngsters will have the opportunity of working with an astronaut as well as a teacher from NASA.
Astronaut Bjarni Tryggvason, an Icelandic-Canadian, joined the 10 and 11-year-olds at Perth College yesterday to help them design mission patches, construct rockets, learn about the geology of Mars and find out about living in space.
Tryggvason, a meteorologist, pilot and flight instructor, served as a payload specialist on Space Shuttle mission STS-85 in 1997, a 12-day mission to study changes in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Later this week, the guest will be space educator Patricia Tribe who will offer a space suit design challenge and help the pupils learn about water filtration and rockets.
Their space school experience ends on Friday when they will design and build their Mars rovers before receiving graduation awards.
Tayside Space School involves 42 pupils from 23 primary schools from across Perth and Kinross.
The space school aims to foster and develop an interest in science, develop team building skills and encourage closer links between schools and further education centres.
It sees youngsters participating in science investigations, all within the context of A Mission to Mars.
Four monthly Saturday workshops involving propulsion, minerals, biodiversity, flight simulation, robotics, light and lasers, fitness in space, sustainability, soils and extracting DNA have been delivered by Perth College and Perth and Kinross teaching staff.
Co-ordinator John Scott said, “This is the third year of Perth schools involvement in space school and, from feedback already received, it seems so far to have been every bit as rewarding as last year’s extremely successful event.”