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A miniature book of Burns' poetry has returned to Scotland after a 5.7 million mile trip and 217 orbits of the Earth.

The tiny book, less than one-inch high, was presented to First Minister Alex Salmond by astronaut Nick Patrick at Holyrood.

The book was sent to space with help from 10 young Scots taking part in the Scottish Space School, an initiative delivered by the University of Strathclyde with support from Skills Development Scotland, to encourage school pupils to pursue careers in science and engineering.

The pupils handed the book to Nick in November on a trip to Nasa's Johnson Space Center in Texas, before he took it onboard STS-130 Endeavour in February on a two-week mission to the International Space Station.

Mr Salmond said:

"I am delighted that the ten Scottish Space School pupils had such a successful visit to Nasa, where they also helped make a little history. Robert Burns' works have a truly global reach so it is entirely fitting that following the successful Year of Homecoming his poetry has literally travelled around the world on the mission to the International Space Station. I'm delighted that the book will now be displayed at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway."

British-born Nick Patrick, who became only the fourth Briton to travel into space in 2006, said:

"It was a real honour to have met such an enthusiastic group of young people, not only to continue the inspirational work undertaken by the Scottish Space School, but to also help spread the timeless poetry of Robert Burns."

Also present at the meeting were Professor Jim McDonald, principal of the University of Strathclyde; Heather Paul, Nasa spacesuit engineer; Hyang Lloyd, president and co-founder of the Scottish Space School Foundation USA; and Gordon McVie, outreach coordinator at the University of Strathclyde.

Professor McDonald said:

"The Scottish Space School is inspiring a generation of talented young Scots by demonstrating how science and engineering can be applied to real life challenges, from tackling climate change to improving communications through space technology.

"It's particularly fitting that today's meeting coincides with national Universities Week - a celebration of the achievements of universities staff, students and young people, who have a key role to play in driving innovation, improving quality of life and providing solutions to the global challenges of the 21st Century.

"The enthusiasm and commitment of these pupils is overwhelming, and many of them will go on to become the scientists and engineers of the future."

The book was originally presented to the Space School by Alan Archibald of the University's Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, who is a distant relative of Burns' wife Jean Armour and a keen supporter of the School.

It contains a small fragment of Jean Armour's wedding dress and will be put on display in the new Burns Museum in Alloway when it opens later this year.

The Scottish Space School is supported by NASA astronauts and engineers and is open to all fifth year pupils from secondary schools across the country. Activities include a residential week for 120 pupils on campus at the University's Faculty of Engineering, the largest in Scotland, which is also home to internationally leading researchers at the Advanced Space Concepts Laboratory. Competition for Space School places is fierce, with the top 10 students being selected for a learning journey to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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