Tim Peake touches down at space conference at the University of York

The space adventurer - who became the first British European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut to visit the International Space Station in 2015 - will meet students at the UK Schools Space Conference hosted by the University of York in March.

The event is organised by ESERO-UK, the university, the UK Space Agency and will see children from more than 100 schools descend on York on Friday, March 20 at the physics department. Some of the young people will present their work linking the space industry and education.

Tim will share his experiences in space, including the Principia mission which involved a spacewalk to repair the Station’s power supply with NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, driving across a simulated Mars terrain from space and helping dock two spacecraft.

He said: “It’s great to keep the legacy of the Principia mission thriving and to continue to inspire our future generations of scientists, engineers and explorers.”

The conference will also include an exhibition of student work and an opportunity to meet and talk to experts from the space industry and space education programmes.

Prof Brian Fulton, Dean of Faculty for the Sciences at the University of York, said: "We are really excited to welcome Tim Peake and school students from across the UK to the University of York.

“Tim's mission to the International Space Station has inspired so many across the country and this is a wonderful opportunity for young people to showcase some of their amazing work."

This is the second time Tim has attended a schools conference at the University of York, with over 600 young people attending a previous conference in November 2016.

Attendance at the conference is free, with travel bursaries available to help with the cost of getting to the venue. Schools must submit an application by January 10. More information and details on how to apply are available at stem.org.uk/esero/astronaut-tim-peake-attending-uk-schools-conference