TWO school students are preparing to jet off to NASA for an international space design competition.

Bede’s pupils Parmis Fadavi- Hosseini and Kozma Prelevic are flying out as part of the UK and EU teams in the international final of the competition taking place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center next month.

The pair will spend a week competing against teams from across the world.

Bill Richards, maths teacher at Bede’s, said: “The space design competition is a unique engineering challenge for students aged 15 to 18, which asks them to propose a detailed design for a future human settlement or spacecraft 60 to 70 years in the future; producing designs for every aspect of the settlement from airlocks to artificial gravity.”

Parmis and Kozma won their hard-earned selection to the teams after competing at the final of the UK space design competition held at Imperial College London at Easter, where they were selected from a group of nearly 200 to join 12 other pupils heading to NASA.

Parmis, 18, who is studying maths, physics and biology A-levels at Bede’s, said: “The trip to NASA really is going to be an experience of a lifetime.

“It is an incredible opportunity to visit the space station and to work alongside fellow competitors from across the globe.”

Kozma, 15, found out the news that he had won a place to represent the EU team while in the middle of his GCSE exams.

He said: “I can’t wait to go to NASA, I am really over the moon about being chosen.”

Mr Richards said: “One of the reasons that Bede’s is exceptionally keen to be involved in this competition is that it helps our pupils when they apply for university.

“For Parmis, who is looking to study architectural engineering, the experience of such a different learning environment will be highly regarded on her UCAS application next year.

“I am incredibly thrilled that these two exceptional pupils have the chance to experience this life-changing opportunity and I am looking forward to hearing all about it when they return to Bede’s in the autumn.”