Only very recently, any young person who expressed an interest in a career involving anything to do with space would have been roundly told to get their feet back on the ground.

Now, though, such an ambition is no longer pie in the sky. As technological advances increase at a sometimes alarming rate, the exploration of the cosmos and using the knowledge gained from the study of the universe for the betterment of life on Earth has never been more relevant.

So it is good news for the district that Bradford University is taking such a leading role in this brave new world.

The University, thanks to its pioneering Robotic Telescope based on the holiday island of Tenerife, is beginning a scheme with local primary schools to help them gain an understanding of the wider universe.

At a time when the education system is under fire because too many young people are taking what are considered to be "soft" courses, it is vitally important that we encourage more and more pupils to become interested in the sciences.

Nurturing a fascination with science at primary school age could well put Bradford's youngsters on a good footing to compete for science and technology jobs when they grow up.

And at the speed that our knowledge, understanding and manipulation of our world is advancing, by the time today's primary school children reach the age when they might go on to university, those careers in space might not seem the fantasy they once were.

  • Click here to see story