SIX pupils at Wootey Junior School received exciting packages in the post earlier this month, from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - otherwise known as NASA!

The children, who are all in Year 5, had written to NASA with reports about planets they had found on journeys through outer space, linked to their autumn term topic and English units, which they felt might be viable for human habitation. Ranging from locations in the spiral galaxy of Andromeda to an as yet unknown solar system approximately half-a-light year away, the six recently ‘discovered’ planets were judged against a number of criteria from the four branches of space and planetary science: astrophysics, geophysics, geochemistry and astrobiology.

Fortunately, all six planets were found to be worthy of further investigation by NASA.

The children from the whole of Year 5 had written reports about their imaginary planets, knowing that their teacher, Jacqui Austin, would only be sending six of them to the United States.

Competition was fierce and the standard high.

Inside each package to come back from NASA was a number of badges and buttons, games and information packs.

Mrs Austin said: “The children were surprised, overwhelmed and delighted to be receiving such a personal response from the space agency.”

“It’s made me the happiest I’ve ever been,” said Nisani, as she opened up the folder containing all the special space goodies.

And she added: “Children enjoy writing when they know who their audience is going to be, and their response to this task was genuinely enthusiastic, as they knew that people who work in America’s national space agency could be reading the reports for their imaginary planets.”

Next term, the children will be studying Alton life through time, writing newspaper reports and diary entries about Fanny Adams.

“I’d like to send some of our work about Alton’s history to the Alton Herald,” commented one of the young winners, clearly flushed with the success of his writing prowess.