Students in the Isle of Man once again have the chance to win scholarships to the prestigious NASA United Space School in Houston, Texas in July 2017.  The opportunity is open to all Year 12 Lower 6 students on the Island.

The scholarships have been awarded each year since 2000 by Manx satellite firm, the ManSat Group, in cooperation with the Department of Education & Children.

The winning students spend two weeks in Houston at the School working alongside peers from around the world to plan a simulated manned mission to Mars, with support from NASA astronauts, engineers and scientists.

The winners of the 2016 scholarships were Rose ten Donkelaar from Ramsey Grammar School, Laurence Couch from Castle Rushen High School and Julius Herzig from King William’s College.

To enter the competition to win a scholarship in summer 2017, students must write three essays, with the closing date for entries being Thursday, 12 January 2017 with details found at www.mansat.org

ManSat Chief Financial Officer Ian Sanders has been visiting each of the Island’s high schools and King William’s College to speak to sixth-form students about the opportunity.
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To date, 30 students from the Isle of Man have attended the United Space School since 2000,’ Ian explained. ‘Each year the feedback from the scholarship winners tells us this is truly a trip of a lifetime, with the students forging new friendships and valuable industry connections with people from around the world.
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There has been great interest in the 2017 scholarships and we expect some strong entries this year. We are grateful again for the strong support shown by the Department of Education & Children.’

To enter, the three essays required from each student are:

• Q1: Why am I interested in space?
• Q2: What particularly interests you in the subjects you are studying for A Level/IB (and/or the subjects you intend to study at university) and why?
• Q3: What constraints need to be overcome to achieve manned space flight outside our solar system and can we overcome these constraints?

For further information, interested students should contact their Head Teacher directly or see www.mansat.org.

Graham Cregeen MHK, Minister for Education and Children, said: ‘The chance to attend the United Space School is an opportunity not to be missed. I would recommend this competition to any student with an interest in the sciences, but the space industry is so wide and the roles involved are so varied that students of other subjects would be equally at home at the School. We are thankful to ManSat for its ongoing support with these scholarships and look forward to meeting the successful 2017 students when they return from Houston.’

For more details about the United Space School, visit www.unitedspaceschool.org