SCIENCE fanatics came face to face with a spaceman at a lecture.

More than 160 people gathered at Westholme in Blackburn to meet Michael Massimino, a former NASA astronaut.

Visitors took part in a question and answer session and learned about life in space, what it was like to experience weightlessness and the Hubble space telescope.

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The US professor of medical engineering spent more than 23 days in space over 18 years.

His illustrious career even earned him a regular role, playing himself, on the science-based comedy The Big Bang Theory, where one of the characters, Howard Wolowitz, goes into space.

Elaine Silverwood, who organised the event to promote Mr Massimino’s book Spaceman on behalf of publishers Simon and Schuster, said everyone left the meeting with a big smile on their face.

She said: “It was fantastic, there was lots of questions about his time in space and what he ate and drank.

“It was good to see such an interest in space because it was such an opportunity to be in the presence of a man who’s done something so incredibly rare.

“Mike is one of only 600 people to go into space.”

The Columbia University teacher was awarded a NASA Space Flight medal for his achievements and services to astronautics.

Ms Silverwood, owner of Silverwood Events, also brought the second man on the Moon, Buzz Aldrin, to the Meins Road school earlier this year.

Ms Silverwood said: “Mike said he thoroughly enjoyed himself and hopes he inspired some more astronauts.

“He told me he watched Neil Armstrong land on the moon when he was 10 years old and from then on he wanted to become an astronaut.

“One family travelled from as far as Norwich just to meet him.

“I would like to thank the school to allow us to create this fantastic occasion.”