Year 13 students Solinna Toul, Justin Walker and Daniel Blakeborough are heading Spaceward Bound with NASA. 

Solinna, Justin and Daniel have been accepted into the Spaceward Bound trip, run by NASA scientists. During the December holidays, the students will spend two weeks in the Taupo/Rotorua/Tangariro volcanic and thermal fields, seeking answers to some of the most fundamental questions: ‘What is life?’, ‘How does life begin and evolve?’ ‘Does life exist elsewhere in the Universe?’ and ‘What is the future of life on Earth and beyond?’.

The three students will explore the unique geological features and extremes of life that can survive the most hostile of environments. During the event they will develop communication and educational relationships with international science teams and engage in hands-on investigation of New Zealand's active volcanic landscapes. The goal is to investigate extreme geological and biological environments analogous to conditions on other planets and to experience some of the technological challenges of human space exploration.

Science Teacher Mrs Fenella Colyer says it is "quite a coup" for three of our students to be selected for the programme.