The team – including rocket scientists – will spend a week working with up to 200 senior secondary pupils across the area with the aim of designing a real-life experiment to be launched into space.

The programme – called Mission Discovery – will see S4 and S5 pupils learning about NASA team-building, personal development and leadership skills.

They will also hear about space from people who have actually been there.

Teams will compete to develop a space experiment concept. A panel of experts will choose the best idea which will then be built and blasted-off into space to the International Space Station.

Information from the experiment will then be sent back down to schools across the planet Earth.

Mission Discovery will be open to students of science, technology, engineering and maths subjects.

Retired NASA astronaut Ken Ham, from New Jersey in the US, will be part of the team delivering the project.

He said: “I’m excited about sharing my experiences of spaceflights and my NASA ground-work with the students. My hope is to inspire them with the amazing things happening both on and off our planet.” Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s education policy board councillor Jacqueline Henry, described the programme as a unique experinece for young people.

“I am absolutely delighted that we are able to offer our S4 and S5 pupils the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with and be inspired by this team and have the chance to see their own work carried out in space,” she said.

“By bringing Mission Discovery to Renfrewshire, we are underlining our commitment to educational excellence and ambition.” Mission Discovery will run in Paisley Town Hall from July 14-18.