Three sixth-formers who won scholarships to attend the United Space School in Houston this summer have received certificates to celebrate their achievement.

Gemma Tipper, Caitlin Gelder and Marc Podmore spent two weeks in Houston, where they worked alongside peers from more than 20 countries on planning a simulated crewed mission to Mars, supported by NASA astronauts, engineers and scientists.

The visit was sponsored by Manx satellite firm, the ManSat Group, which has awarded the scholarships since 2000. A total of 35 Isle of Man pupils have so far completed the trip to the Space School.

Caitlin, who is studying A-levels in maths, physics and biology at Castle Rushen High School, said: ’United Space School was one of the most exciting and eye-opening experiences of my life. It allowed me to meet like-minded people from all over the world.

’A moment which stands out was visiting the Apollo Mission Control at the Johnson Space Centre. This was the room which all the missions to the moon were controlled from. ’This was breathtaking as it put everything we learned into perspective.

’Another special moment was meeting astronaut Sunita Williams, who shared some of her stories with us of her time in space. She has such a positive outlook on life, and the challenges that she has faced, and has inspired me to push to achieve my goals and dreams in life.’

Caitlin’s mission control team had to co-ordinate the finance, communication to Mars, design treaties and ensure the mission agreed with space laws.

’I worked mostly on satellite communication but dipped into a bit of space law, which was a new aspect of the space industry I hadn’t really considered as a career properly before,’ she said, thanking everyone who had supported the project.

Marc, also a Castle Rushen High School pupil, is studying maths, physics and chemistry and is aiming for a career in astrophysics after university.

He said: ’This was by far the best two weeks of my life. The best aspect was the amazing friends I have made all over the world. The big events and trips were unforgettable such as visiting the Johnson Space Centre. However, all the small, personal moments with friends are what made this trip really special.

’Our team’s job was to get the crew from orbit to surface and back to orbit for both Earth and Mars. We also had to deliver all the cargo to Mars too.’

Marc and four others were awarded Texas flags, which were flown in their honour over the capitol building. These flags are awarded to students ’who show exemplary teamwork, dedication, and leadership throughout their USS term’.

’I was completely blown away and honoured to receive a flag,’ said Marc. ’I’d like to thank everyone involved in USS 2018 for making it such an unforgettable experience.’

King William’s College student Gemma is studying for the International Baccalaureate, for which she is taking three higher level subjects,: maths, physics and economics, and three standard level subjects: Spanish, English literature and language, and visual arts.

She said: ’It was the most incredible two weeks of my life. My favourite part was without a doubt the people I met, in particular my two housemates.

’My favourite moment would have to be when we visited the observatory at Brazos Bend park and the sun set, so that it was completely dark. Looking up and seeing all the stars and planets so clearly took my breath away.

’Planning the mission to Mars was an incredibly complex task. My team oversaw exploration on the Martian surface, and while it’s certainly a big task to design a Mars space suit, it was surprisingly tricky to work out the best place for the toilet in the rover.’

Presenting the three sixth-formers with their certificares, Education Minister Graham Cregeen MHK said: ’Each year I listen in awe to the experiences of our Isle of Man scholars on their return from the United Space School and this year was no exception. It’s a wonderful opportunity that ManSat provides for our students, a chance to gain so much knowledge and insight into what is a fascinating industry - one in which, through the work of ManSat and others, the Isle of Man plays a leading role.’

Dr Jennifer Stone, ManSat’s senior manager for regulatory affairs, said: ’Caitlin, Gemma and Marc were excellent ambassadors for the Isle of Man, and we are very proud of their achievements at the space school.’

See www.unitedspaceschool.org for more information about the Space School, www.mansat.org for details of scholarships