10:50am Friday 10th July 2009
Crew members from the Discovery Space Shuttle touched down in Skipton this week.
The five NASA astronauts paraded through the town with a rocket and brought a touch of space magic to hundreds of schoolchildren.
In a major coup for the town, the space crew visited Skipton as part of a three-town educational tour of the UK.
After meeting the mayor, Coun Chris Harbron, outside the town hall, the crew were transported to Skipton Auction Mart in a Jeep-pulled trailer along streets lined with waving schoolchildren.
Coun Harbron said: “It’s been absolutely amazing. I never thought when I became mayor that I would ever meet an astronaut. It’s fantastic for the town and for all the schoolchildren.”
At the auction mart, 1,000 primary and secondary school children spent the day talking to the astronauts, listening to presentations and finding out about science.
Crew member John Lynch Phillips, who has been in space three times, said he was finding his visit to Yorkshire very interesting.
“The kids ask very good questions and the kind of things that adults wouldn’t. They are very direct – a common one is how much money does an astronaut earn, or how does an astronaut go to the toilet,” he said.
Mr Phillips, who was staying at Malham Tarn with his wife and other crew members, also visited Skipton Castle.
The crew’s visit to the UK coincides with this month’s 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon.
Mr Phillips said it was astonishing that the moon landing was made during the time when the United States was in the middle of the Vietnam War.
The visit was organised by Bradford-based Space Connections – with Craven College and Yorkshire Forward – and is part of the Lift Off Campaign to promote science, technology, engineering and maths to schoolchildren.
Wes Johnson, assistant principal of Craven College, said: “It’s a real coup for Skipton. They are only going to three places in the country and we managed to be one of them.”
The crew finished their visit to Skipton with a gala dinner at The Rendezvous Hotel.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.cravenherald.co.uk/trade_directory/