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NETPark, already one of the fastest growing Science Parks in the UK, marked an important milestone on Wednesday 30th June. On Wednesday a team of international astronauts landed at NETPark to officially open Phase 2 of the NETPark Incubator, and to meet students from a nearby school. A central function of Innovation Connectors such as NETPark is to engage in community awareness and engagement activities related to science, energy, technology and innovation. The visit of astronauts fresh from their latest orbital mission proved an ideal way to put this into action.
The crew came to County Durham courtesy of the County Durham Development Company and the North East Branch of the Institute of Physics (IoP). Both organisations felt that the astronauts’ visit was a great opportunity to promote the benefits of science, maths, and engineering to youngsters across the county.

So members of the STS-132 shuttle crew, who had spent a week docked at the International Space Station in May - the last flight of the shuttle Atlantis before it was retired – touched down at NETPark.

A group of pupils from Fishburn Primary School joined Kenneth Ham, commander of the STS-132 mission, to visit the CfAI and find out firsthand what it is like to be an astronaut.

The CfAI has its own links with international space exploration efforts, as it is involved in developing technology to be used on the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the famous Hubble telescope.

Commander Ham also took part in the official opening of Phase 2 of the NETPark Incubator, where he was joined by local MP Phil Wilson; Simon Henig, the leader of Durham County Council; Chris Barber, director of the International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET); Stewart Watkins, managing director of County Durham Development Company; and invited guests.

Stewart Watkins said, “We were very pleased to welcome the STS-132 shuttle crew to County Durham. To see them at NETPark emphasised the role science and technology has to play in the region’s future. “It’s a perfect example for North East students of how studying subjects such as physics can open up fantastic opportunities on their own doorstep, across the world, and as in this case – beyond.”

Commander Ham commented “This whole community has taken that concept very seriously in economic development, in technological advances and bringing in new companies with new ideas to develop and bringing in kids today to show them what is in their own backyard.”

Alasdair Wilson, Chair of the Institute of Physics North East Branch, said, “This really was an exciting opportunity for students in the North East to hear what it’s like to be in space and to appreciate how the study of physics has made mankind’s adventures in space possible.”