At the end of last term students from the National Space Academy and Loughborough College's pioneering Space Engineering course were invited to attend a Q & A session with former NASA astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield.
Commander Hadfield delivered an inspiring talk about his progression into the astronaut corps and his experiences and feelings while commanding the International Space Station. He also gave the students a first hand account of the fun, and danger that constitutes an astronaut's work.
In addition to the stories of life in space, he impressed on students the importance of making good decisions, and how the choices made every day, even the small ones, will help define where their future paths will go. The students were left motivated, inspired and enthused by his words, as their feedback shows:
"He was really inspiring. To hear from someone who has had such a varied career, and pursued science all the way to the International Space Station was incredible. It shows that if you work hard and set your mind to something then you can achieve anything. It really was an out of this world experience."
Rebecca Healey, a year 12 student on the course, said "It was so exciting to meet Chris Hadfield at the National Space Centre. It was interesting to hear that however incredible his ambitions for space seemed he remained single minded from a young age - and he has gone on to achieve so much."
"It has really strengthened my own resolve. The course I am on certainly gives me lots of opportunities to make it happen."
The 16+ Space Engineering programme launched by Loughborough College in association with the National Space Academy combines A Level Maths and Physics with a Level 3 BTEC in Engineering, all taught in a space context, and is the first course of its kind in the UK..