SOMETHING out of this world is happening thanks to a Glasgow ­university.

A Scotland-wide competition run by Strathclyde University has given 10 youngsters the chance for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to ­Nasa's Houston base in Texas.

The pupils will visit the Johnson Space Center at the end of October.

Hundreds of pupils applied for the space school programme. From those, 100 were chosen to learn from some of the world's leading figures in space travel before 10 were selected to visit the Johnson Space Center at the end of October.

Shortlisted pupils are the top performing fifth-year ­students in mathematics and science. Nearly half of the places on offer in the competition have been won by pupils from Inverclyde.

It is the first time so many youngsters from one place have been picked.

Gordon McVie, of the Scottish Space School at Strathclyde University, said: "It is unprecedented to have four pupils from the one council area, indeed four different schools, in the top 10, and Strathclyde University has been running Space School for 10 years and welcomed 1100 pupils.

"They will be visiting two mission control centres, the current International Space Station MCC and the historic Apollo mission control that landed men on the moon.

"The legendary Apollo mission director Gene Kranz will also address the students and sign copies of his book Failure is not an Option.

"Every student who has gone before says it is a life-changing experience."

Winner Mairi Shaw, 17, of Notre Dame High School, said: "I can't wait. I want to do engineering but space technology is so much more than that. It is at the cutting edge of science - literally out of this world."

Emma Thomson, 16, a pupil at Inverclyde Academy, said: "It is has always been a dream of mine to go to Nasa.

"It is a once in a lifetime ­opportunity and will open my eyes to the new frontiers of science and engineering."

Special guests on the ­programme included George Abbey, a former director of the Johnson Space Center and astronaut Mike Baker.

Sophia White, 17, of Clydeview Academy, said: "I gained so much from going to the Space School week. It has really opened my eyes to the opportunities in science.

"I have always wanted to do medicine but now I can see there are different aspects to it, which mean I won't necessarily find myself working in a hospital."

Joe Gibson, 17, from St Columba's High School, is the fourth pupil to go to Texas.

catriona.stewart@ eveningtimes.co.uk