River Advisers (formerly ManSat) United Space School Competition is promoted in December for all eligible Y12 students. The competition offers the chance for two Y12 students to represent the Isle of Man for two weeks at the United Space School in Houston, Texas. The aim of the competition is for students to answer (in detail) three essay style questions which all relate to ‘space’ or ‘space travel’. Each year, we have a good number of students apply and we have been fortunate to have some winners in the past, most recently during the COVID epidemic, when the winners took part in an ‘online’ virtual school.
This year, the entries were once again competitive, and William Shooter came third in the overall results. Some students who have excelled and were extremely close to finishing in the top two places, are advised to apply directly to the United Space School in Texas. As a result of applying directly to the USS, students are given another task, with the brief being to plan a mission to space and if successful, an online interview; something that proved to be intense, especially in the build-up to AS exams. William was successful with his planned mission into space and as such, he was invited to an online interview with a select committee from the United Space School. All-in-all, a quite rigorous process! William performed exceptionally well throughout each stage of the process and although the interview was tough, he was ultimately offered the chance to attend the two-week programme in Houston; something he accepted without hesitation.
The two-week programme allows you to work collaboratively with other teams of students from around the world, forming one large team to plan a successful mission into space. The students attended lectures every day and presented their findings to other teams (revising and editing their ‘solutions’) and they had the opportunity to listen to experts in the aerospace industry on the difficulties of manning a mission into space. The students had a wonderful time and according to William, “it was one of those surreal moments that I just couldn’t get my head around. I was working with NASA and speaking to the experts; it felt like I was in a dream!”. The host families were great to be around and looked after the students incredibly well, with students planning a reciprocal agreement in that they visit the Isle of Man soon!
Upon return to the island, the students met the Minister for Education along with some of the executives from River Advisers to talk through their experiences and they were presented with their awards at an informal event held at Slieu Whallian.
Overall, a huge mention to River Advisers for once again, allowing the students of the Isle of Man a once in a lifetime opportunity, something that River Advisers (formerly ManSat) have been doing for the past 24 years – hopefully, it can continue for another 24. The experiences, networking opportunities and the chance to work with some of the most talented people at the United Space School is something that will live long into William’s memory. Well done William Shooter, you are certainly one of those talented people!
Mr K Schofield
Head of Sixth Form
