AS THE first manned mission to Mars draws nearer, school pupils at Royal International Air Tattoo today were offered a unique opportunity to join the race to the red planet – by designing a space habitation module for NASA.

The challenge – the first of its kind in the UK – was launched by Lockheed Martin and Discovery Education as part of a new national STEM education programme: Generation Beyond.

Unveiled for visiting pupils at the air show’s opening day at RAF Fairford, the scheme will deliver space exploration resources to UK schools, inspiring the next generation of innovators, explorers and astronauts to pursue STEM careers.

Open to primary school pupils age 9-11, the challenge asks students to create a short video, explaining how they would design a habitation module for the first crew to Mars.

Pupils can enter individually or as a group, with two £5,000 STEM grants and iPads among the prizes.

Peter Ruddock, chief executive of Lockheed Martin UK, said: “As a child, I always dreamed I would go to the moon but for today’s young people, thanks to the advances made in space exploration by companies like Lockheed Martin, getting to Mars in their lifetime could become a reality.

“We want to inspire our next generation of engineers, space explorers and astronauts.

“Generation Beyond is a great way to teach pupils about the opportunities that STEM careers can offer and help them to develop new skills in a fun and innovative way,” he added.

Lewis Bronze MBE, founder and director of content at Discovery Education UK, said the scheme “will bring pupils ever closer to a new era of space exploration”.

He said it will help teachers to “ignite interest in STEM subjects” and prepare today’s pupils to “lead tomorrow’s innovation and discovery”.

Available at no cost to schools, the programme includes an online space curriculum for teachers and families, with digital resources such as lesson plans, educator guides and family activities.

The dynamic content will introduce a wide variety of STEM-focused careers in space exploration, compare and contrast differences between life in space and on Earth, and illustrate the challenges of a future Mars mission.

Generation Beyond was launched in the US in August 2016, where it has already reached over 1.5 million students.

The UK Generation Beyond Video Challenge closes on December 15.

Schools should visit generationbeyondinschool.co.uk/challenge to enter.