SECONDARY school pupils had a learning experience that was out of this world when Major Tim Peake’s Space Descent Virtual Reality bus visited.

Year 10 pupils at Tong Leadership Academy were challenged to safely guide a spaceship module back to earth, using state of the art virtual reality technology.

Just as Major Tim Peake made the high speed descent back to earth in a Soyuz TMA-19M, pupils were instructed in how to use the controls to ensure a smooth landing. The visit happened earlier this month.

Using Samsung virtual reality goggles and the latest in VR technology, the Space Descent bus enables pupils to experience what it feels like to sit inside the descent module of a spaceship as it makes its journey back down to earth.

Pupil Danielle Denning said: “I learnt many amazing facts about going into space and the Tim Peake adventure. It was nice to learn in a different and fun way. The crew were really friendly and there to offer support and help.”

Aadil Laher, Curriculum Leader for Science at Tong Leadership Academy, coordinated the visit from the Virtual Reality bus. He said: “The Tim Peake bus visit was a fantastic way to engage our students in science and highlight how it is used in a hugely exciting context.

“They loved having the opportunity to experience the descent from space using VR goggles and were exhilarated by the session.”