Isle of Man Guide

ManSat Limited and the Department of Education today (Friday) honoured the achievements of two Manx students.

Daniel Sayle, of St Ninian's High School, and Suzanne Thomas, of Castle Rushen High School, successfully completed a two-week sponsorship at the International Space School Foundation, part of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in July.

Daniel and Suzanne attended lectures at the University of Houston - Clear Lake, met NASA scientists and astronauts and worked on projects while interacting with 28 like-minded young people from 16 countries around the globe.

Education Minister Anne Craine MHK, who presented the pair with certificates presentation at the Department of Education, commented:

'We're glad to work with ManSat to help our young people in the Isle of Man get excited about space. The experiences that our students enjoy through this sponsorship open up a whole new world of opportunities for them.'

Each year, Ian Jarritt, finance director of ManSat, visits schools on the Island to introduce the scheme, which has been running for nine years. #

Students are required to write three essays of between 500 and 1,000 words covering space-related issues.

Mr Jarritt commented:

'The Isle of Man space industry is going from strength to strength. We now have three Manx satellites in orbit, the International Institute of Space Commerce is headquartered here and we have nine space-related companies on the Island. Providing our students with this opportunity to gain industry experience will not only open their eyes to career possibilities, it enhances our position as the Space Isle.'

During the trip, the students, both now in year 13 and studying for A-levels, visited world class facilities such as the Orion Project, a neutral buoyancy lab, and the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASMIR) and took part in a group project to design a space mission to Mars.

Daniel said:

'I feel so lucky to have taken part in such an one -off experience, chatting to other students on the programme we agreed that it was something money couldn't buy. I loved every second of it, and when I got home I couldn't stop talking about it.'

Suzanne said she found the course to be an 'absolutely amazing experience' and was really excited to be able to speak directly to the America astronaut Greg Chamitoff through a video link while he was in orbit.

Both students were inspired by the experts they met as well as the other students from around the world who they have been able to keep in touch with through a group on Facebook.

Suzanne said the experience has made her even more determined to pursue physics and astrophysics at university. Daniel, also wants to continue studying sciences alongside geography, his true passion, and hopes to be able to find a course where he can experience more travel.

Mr Jarritt's presentations to the schools for the 2009 competition will commence in October. Entries should be submitted by 14 January.

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