Students between 14 and 18 years old from 44 European countries have now the chance to compete in an international educational contest on space exploration, funded by the European Commission, within the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) in the Space area. The Odysseus contest is designed to challenge talented young people on science and at engaging and inspiring the European youth in pushing forward the limits of our knowledge by discovering the answers to fundamental questions about the history of earth, the origin of life, the solar system and the universe.