* Astronomy

A stellar academic is in line to boldly go where no New Zealander has gone before - and she has Darth Vader to thank for reaching for the stars.
Karen Willcox, an associate professor at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is in the running to become the first Kiwi in space.
The West Aucklander is one of 47 people shortlisted for Nasa's astronaut training programme.

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