Ten pupils have been chosen to visit NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the Scottish Space School has announced.

The youngsters who will depart for America next month are: Tom Aitken, Jordanhill School; Lea Armstrong, Larbert High; Danielle Clyde, Tynecastle High; Emma Diamond, Stromness Academy; Ben Kerridge, Bell Baxter High; Leyla Manshouri, Portobello High; Arif Nadeem, Renfrew High; Cameron Paterson, Cumnock Academy; Jo Shepherd, Dingwall Academy; and Robert Young, Loudoun Academy.

Speaking about her trip, Danielle Clyde, said: “The Scottish Space School has definitely inspired and motivated me to work with science in the future.”

Space School 2009 began with 300 applicants from more than 100 secondary schools across Scotland, 120 of whom were offered places at the five-day residential summer school in June, run by Strathclyde University and supported by NASA astronauts and engineers. Forty students were then invited to attend a workshop at Strathclyde in August, from which the final 10 were selected to make the journey to Houston from November 6- 15.

www.scottishspaceschool.org.uk.