Reach for the stars, museum urges students

LONDON, Apr 27 (Reuters) Britain's leading space scientists are hoping that a new exhibition on the final frontier will encourage young people to become astronauts or follow a career in science.

The exhibition, launched yesterday by a British NASA astronaut at London's Science Museum, includes a refurbished replica of Apollo 11, the craft involved in the first moon landing in 1969, and a 3-metre-high X-ray telescope from the Challenger shuttle.

The exhibition also aims to reveal the human effort behind complex machinery and space missions.

''Rather than just go for the further frontier idea, we wanted to make clear that space science is also a job,'' said Alison Boyle, astronomy curator at the museum.

British universities are offering 10 per cent fewer science courses than a decade ago, according to the University and College Union.

However, the Science Museum hopes the display will alert young people to the successes of UK-based space research.

Astronaut Nicholas Patrick, who last year became the fourth Briton to enter space, said the museum had inspired him to become involved in space exploration: ''It was here that I learnt to appreciate and love science and technology, and science and technology have carried me quite a long way in my career so far,'' he said.

Professor Peter Willmore, who was on the team which developed the giant X-Ray telescope on display, said the museum could bridge the gap between studies and a career in science.

''I think the kind of science you do at school is very difficult to relate convincingly, compared to the cutting-edge, exciting science that you see in this gallery,'' he added.

The display also includes a replica of the craft which took pictures on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, following a seven year journey into space.

While the exhibition celebrates exploration in the 45 years since the launch of the first UK satellite, astronomers were also looking to the future.

''I think we'll see people from many nations back on the moon -- I think within 45 years we'll see people on Mars, and we'll see a lot of robotic exploration in parts of the solar system,'' said Patrick, who completed his first mission to the International Space Station last December.

''We'll probably start to use space for its resources, not just as an observation and communications platform.'' REUTERS LPB RAI0850