A COMPUTER program written by secondary school pupils has been sent to the International Space Station ahead of a high-profile mission there by a British astronaut.

Major Tim Peake is scheduled to blast off to the artificial low orbit satellite on Tuesday (December 15), where he will use the program devised by ten Key Stage Three children at Thirsk School and Sixth Form College.

Guided by teacher Dan Aldred, the 12 and 13-year-olds won a UK Space Agency contest after spending their lunchtimes for seven weeks writing 56 pages of code to use orbit information to determine the country the station is flying over, display the flag of the country and produce a short phrase in the local language.

Major Peake, who will become the UK's first astronaut in two decades, will use a credit-card sized computer on his six-month mission to the station, to use the program.

The students, who are members of the school’s Raspberry Pi club, will attend a live broadcast of the Major Peake's launch at the Science Museum in London with Professor Brian Cox.

Thirsk School’s Headteacher, Stuart Mason, said "Huge credit should go to our students and Mr Aldred for this fantastic achievement.

"As part of our School Plan we are constantly seeking to provide cutting edge opportunities as part of a 21st Century curriculum and the project is part of this strategic priority for the school."