Girls from Birkenhead School had the experience of a lifetime as they travelled to NASA in Texas over the February half term.
The group of 20 students from Years 8 to 11 took part in the Mission to Mars event, which was focussed on encouraging young women to become interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths).
At the Johnson Space Center in Houston, the girls had the chance to meet with astronaut Ken Cameron, as well as taking part in challenges such as building a 3D Martian habitat, scuba diving, building rockets, and cryogenic design, construction and testing.
Dionne, Year 10, said, “I was so glad to have the opportunity to go to NASA with School, I learned so many new things and how to work as a team. I really enjoyed the Mars habitat project as we tackled the problems of living on Mars. The scuba diving was also one of my favourite experiences too as it was my first time doing it and we were training at the same time as the astronauts!”
In addition to the space related activities, the group were also able to enjoy a wide range of leisure activities in the local area including exploring the Kemah Boadwalk, having dinner at the famous Bubba Gump restaurant, and shopping at the Tanger Outlets.
Catherine, Year 9, said, “I loved this experience, it was an amazing opportunity and I’m so glad I took part. The best activities were building heat shields and rockets, and having brunch with an astronaut. This was an amazing week and I would recommend it to everyone.”
The girls will now take part in a follow up challenge called #NASAinspires, where they will take what they have learnt on their trip and look at how they can share their knowledge and experiences with fellow students in Prep and in the wider community.
The trip to Texas was one of a huge range of travel opportunities available at School, including this year a cultural trip to New3 York and Washington, a ski trip to Canada, a cricket tour to Barbados, a music tour to Spain, and a charity hike to Nepal.