Students will meet retired NASA astronaut, James Reilly. James has logged over 853 hours in space, including 5 spacewalks totaling 31 hours and 10 minutes. In 1998 James flew on STS-89, the flight that delivered Andy Thomas to Mir and returned with David Wolf. For a full biography visit www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/reilly.html.

During this four day non-residential program students will:

• Visit Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing where they will participate in a one hour Astro Tour and listen to a series of short presentations from leading Australian researchers on recent discoveries in astrophysics.
• Visit La Trobe University where they will tour laboratory facilities and meet researchers from the Space Physics Research Group.
• Hear James Reilly talk about his experience of living and working in space.
• Join with the South Australian Space School to complete a Mission to Mars at VSSEC
• Join with the South Australian Space School to complete a Mission to the Orbiting Space Laboratory (MOSL) at VSSEC .
• Learn about Mars exploration and participate in a range of hands-on activities including building and launching water rockets

A $150 registration fee includes all site visits, bus transport, lunches, mission costs, printed materials, souvenir windcheater, group photograph and mission patch.

The Victorian Space School is open to students who are currently in Year 10. No more than two students will be selected from any school.

Important dates:
Applications close Friday 29th May 2009.
Successful students will be notified no later than Friday 5th June 2009.
Registration fees and medical forms must be received no later than 19th June 2009.

VSSEC is proud to work with the South Australian Space School and their sponsors to make this opportunity available to Victorian students.

* Please note: should astronaut James Reilly become unavailable, the Victorian Space School will proceed as advertized.