Fearnhill welcomes astronaut Helen

Fearnhill students were given first-hand insights into life in Space when former astronaut Helen Sharman visited the school.

Helen, an Outreach Ambassador for Imperial College London, spoke to students about her experiences as the first British astronaut when she joined the Soviet Soyuz TM-12 mission in 1991.

Answering student questions about eating, sleeping and, of course, going to the toilet in Space enabled Helen to discuss the serious side of Space exploration and how, for example, simple plant experiments let to the improvement in treatment for diabetes.

Despite being a passionate advocate for Space travel, when quizzed, Helen said she wouldn’t like to be a member of a permanent community on Mars. Although she enjoyed the excitement of being in Space, she would always want to return to life on Earth.

Leading on from her experiences 400km above Earth, Helen spoke to students about life choices ahead of them and urged them to consider studying STEMM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine) at university.

She said: ”It was a delight to talk to the students about STEM careers and university. The students kept me on my toes with some great questions and I enjoyed touring the School with two of the Y12s.  There was a friendly and engaged buzz everywhere I went. Thank you to the Science Team for arranging the day!”

Head teacher Liz Ellis commented: “Helen’s visit caused major excitement at Fearnhill. For the students to be able to speak directly to an astronaut was a real privilege.

“We hope it will inspire more Fearnhill students to believe they can ‘reach for the stars’ – maybe even literally! Careers information and guidance is really important and this visit has helped students see the wide range of possibilities open to them across many industries.

“It was a pleasure to welcome Helen and we hope she will visit us again in the future.”