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Space race students on cloud nine

Posted on: Saturday, 19 July 2003, 06:00 CDT

STUDENTS from Campbell College in Belfast had a close encounter of the third kind after winning the top prize in a national space competition.

The team of three attended the British Festival of Space at the University of Surrey, Guildford, last week to pick up their prize from veteran astronaut, Jean-Francois Clervoy.

The senior advisor astronaut on a European project to develop a supply capsule for the International Space Station presented the students with a cheque for pounds 1,000 for their school, and individual prizes of pounds 100 each for their vision of man's future in space.

Campbell College pupil Luke McIlwain, 14, made his presentation about the future of space exploration to leading members of the UK space industry during the festival's school day, which attracted groups from across the UK who wished to find out more about careers in the space industry and science communication.

Anita Heward, who helped to organise the festival, said: "Forty entries made it into the final of the competition and Campbell College were overall winners.

"This is the first year of the festival and the competition and it attracted a lot of interest so we will definitely be running some- thing again next year."

The competition asked students for their ideas on the future of the national space programme. Representatives from the British National Space Centre, QinetiQ, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, and the SpaceLink Learning Foundation judged the entries.

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