A small section of Wembley Stadium was transformed into the inside of a spaceship for a special event hosted by a former NASA astronaut.

Brent & Kilburn Times: James Reilly with Lorraine King, Times' digital news editorJames Reilly with Lorraine King, Times' digital news editor (Image: Archant)

James F Reilly, who has been to space three times, held a special dinner at the iconic venue to give a talk about his travels.

Mr Reilly, who is affectionately known as JR, flew in from the United States for a week-long tour where he visited a school to promote the space-related industry.

Brent & Kilburn Times: James Reilly has travelled to space three times (Pic credit: NASA)James Reilly has travelled to space three times (Pic credit: NASA) (Image: Archant)

The Kennedy Space Center ambassador, who celebrated his 61st birthday at the event on Wednesday, captivated his audience with his tales about outer space and showed pictures and video footage taken during his three trips.

A former geologist, his first mission took place in 1998, with subsequent visits to space in 2001 and 2007.

He also spoke about the Mission to Mars project in which a rocket will be sent to the planet - but one-way only.

He told the Times: “I would encourage more children to think about being an astronaut. It’s an exciting career to have.”