Space School's a blast

Study hard, do what you love and set high goals if you want to become an astronaut, kids were told yesterday - but don't apply if you are scared of heights or cramped spaces.

These were the words of British Nasa astronaut Nicholas JM Patrick, who landed at Harrow International School, the Bangkok branch of his old London school, to give students a taste of what it takes to get a career in space.

"You have to study hard not just in academic subjects but also in everything that you're trying to learn," Patrick said. His own favourite subjects were mathematics, physics and engineering - a preference that's helped him get this far.

Path to the moon

"The high goal I set myself when I was five or six years old was to walk on the moon and I still haven't achieved it. But in trying to achieve it, I have a very interesting career."

Patrick blasted off on board December 2006's STS-116 Discovery Space Shuttle on a mission to help with construction work at the International Space Station.

 Careful preparation, he said, was his key to success: "We don't just practice the things we expect to do, we also practise procedure to handle all kinds of malfunctions and problems.

Looking down from space

One student asked him how he felt when he looked down on the Earth from outer space.

"I couldn't believe that I had finally made it into space after eight years training, or how beautiful the planet looked!" he answered.

His next trip to space will be with the crew of the STS-130, which is due to launch in December with a payload of the final pressurised components for the space station.

Looking further ahead, Patrick said he would like to be involved in the future of space travel as a teacher of a new generation of astronauts.