Space course gets lift-off in Leicester
A former NASA astronaut is to visit the National Space Centre next month to launch Loughborough College's new space engineering course.
Dr Piers Sellers, a former astronaut and director of science and exploration at the Goddard Space Flight Centre, will visit the Leicester-based space centre on Tuesday 8 November.
Loughborough College's post-16 space engineering course, which is a joint venture with the National Space Centre, will start in September 2012. The qualification will be available to students from across the UK, and comprises A-levels in physics and maths and a BTEC level three diploma in engineering.
Dr Sarah Hill, project manager for the National Space Academy, which is based at the National Space Centre, said: "We are excited and delighted to be working with Loughborough College on a course that is a gateway for young people into an industry that currently contributes £7.5bn to the UK economy and employs close to 24,000.
"There are amazing opportunities for the students to learn from the industry and discover the plethora of exciting employment opportunities available to them."
