HUNDREDS of Bicester schoolchildren were given a chance to see a space rocket up close.

The 54ft rocket was viewed by about 400 pupils from Cooper School, as well as students from nearby Bardwell and Glory Farm schools and toddlers from Rainbow Playgroup.

Students were shown a video and slides about the rocket and then taken for a closer look.

Called Starchaser Nova 2, it dropped in at the Churchill Road school as part of a nationwide tour of 1,000 schools.

But it was not the first time the school has had a rocket in its grounds — four years ago the original model, Nova 1, paid a visit to the specialist science school.

The rocket, which is currently being tested and could provide manned space travel by 2013, is due to be launched off Morecombe Sands in November this year.

Science teacher Ros Atoyebi said: “It helps our students grasp the concept of space travel and ties in with our curriculum and specialist science status.”