Two A-level students could win the trip of a lifetime, joining NASA to look for life at the edge of space.

As part of their education programme, NESTA is offering two A-level students the opportunity to take part in a research trip to NASA and the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA. They will be joining three NESTA scientists who been working to discover what kinds of life exist at the extreme edge of the atmosphere. Together with a NASA astrobiology team, they will launch a robot 40 kilometres into the stratosphere on a powerful rocket.

Details of the competition challenge and how to enter can be found on the NESTA website. But note that the deadline is tight, due to the amount of time it takes to get security clearance to enter the NASA base the entries need to be back by 24 May 2010. But take this as a good sign — a tight deadline may mean fewer applications and you might have a greater chance of success than you think!

So good luck, and see you in the stratosphere!