The medallions, bearing the Space School’s logo, were taken on the Soyuz TMA-17M space mission, which blasted off from Kazakhstan in 2015 and returned to Earth after a 141-day flight. During this time, they orbited Earth 2256 times, at an altitude of 250 miles, covering a total of 59.6 million miles at a speed of 17,500 mph.
They will be shown to the 100 school pupils participating in the Space School, a week-long residential event from 12-17 June, aimed at inspiring young people to consider careers in engineering.
A panel of NASA astronauts, engineers and scientists will take part in a question and answer session on space and will give a public lecture on exploration of Mars. They will also give presentations at two Glasgow schools, Castlemilk High and Merrylee Primary.
The pupils will also have the chance to design and build rockets, which they will then launch from Bellahouston Park in Glasgow.
First held in 2004, the Scottish Space School @ Strathclyde has been attended by more than 1300 secondary pupils, more than half of whom have gone on to work in engineering, science and technology.
Professor Dimitris Drikakis, Executive Dean of Strathclyde’s Faculty of Engineering, said: “The Scottish Space School has an exemplary record of inspiring young people to go into higher education and go on to productive careers.
“As a socially progressive university, we are dedicated to widening participation in education. The Space School is attended by many pupils from schools and areas with historically lower participation levels and we aim to ensure that all pupils of ability have the opportunity to continue their education at university or college.
“We are also pleased to be displaying the medallions at the Space School, following their return to Earth. They were taken into space as a gesture of appreciation for the Space School’s role in cultivating interest in engineering and technology – something we look forward to continuing in the years ahead.”
Ten of the pupils participating in the Scottish Space School will be selected to go on a ‘learning journey’ to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in November. This life-changing experience – meeting the leading players in the space programme, coupled with the skills they gain from the visit – will be invaluable in providing the students with a platform to build a career in the industry.
The University of Strathclyde is home to the Strathclyde Space Institute, one of Europe’s largest Space Engineering groups, which addresses key challenges in space systems engineering, satellite applications and access to space. Research centres within the Institute include the Advanced Space Concepts Laboratory, the Centre for Future Air-Space Transportation Technology, the Space Mechatronics Systems Technology Laboratory, the Centre for Space Science and Applications and the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications.
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