Assam Government to again send Meritorious 13 school students to NASA trip

The Assam state government is to pay for 13 students holding high ranks in 2013 state board exams of classes X and XII, for the visit to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States. This 10 day visit sponsored by Assam Government for the second year, will also include visit to Washington DC, New York, AT & T Bell Lab and Benz Manufacturing factory, as informed by a government spokesperson on 26 November.

The students will leave India on 28 November. The spokesperson further enlightened about the trip stating that this NASA educational trip will make students understand various multitudes of astronomy and space science including astronaut training, conducting of space experiments with NASA trainers, space shuttle mission control insights, interaction with NASA scientists as well as NASA astronauts.

The Assam state government initiated annual NASA visit scheme in the year 2011, the first batch went to the trip last year with an objective to give students exposure and heighten their interest in space science and astronomy.

The students will also understand the challenges of space exploration in this educational trip. Besides, they would also get to watch the John F Kennedy Space Centre set up in Orlando. This centre is the home of every manned space flight from the US since 1968, as told by a senior official of the education department.

The selected students for the visit will also experience two days camp at US Space Camp, Huntsville, Alabama. In the camp they would be allowed to participate in simulated space shuttle missions, understand mission controls, and monitor the progress and safety to understand successful launching and landing of the spacecraft, besides conducting experiments to learn the basic scientific principles.