1st school from North-east to step into NASA, undergo ATX
ATX Trainings at NASA, USA
October 23-31, 2011 turned to be a historic moment for the students of NPS International School, Guwahati as they got the golden opportunity to explore NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center, the nation’s gateway to exploring, discovering and understanding our universe. Following that humble beginning, students of the school are visiting NASA, USA almost every year, including the years 2016.
NPS becomes the first school from Northeast region of India to visit NASA, USA and their students got the opportunity to undergo Astronomy Training there during that trip. In the year 2016, altogether 37 students of NPS International School went for a 3-day astronaut training experience (ATX) in NASA whose mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. The training started with basic questions like ’What’s out there in space’? ’How do we get there’? ’What can we learn there? etc.
NASA scientists educated our students with the fact that President John F Kennedy focused NASA and the nation on sending astronauts to the moon by the end of the 1960s. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first of 12 men to walk on the moon, meeting Kennedy’s challenges. Students of NPS International School experienced the sights, sounds and sanctions of a vertical launch in humankind’s most complex vehicle - the Space Shuttle. They began the Journey just like an astronaut which was indeed a very thrilling experience.
Students, during their visit to NASA, were taken to US Astronaut Hall of Fame where they got a taste of firsthand experience of astronauts for real missions. Students feel the pull of 4Gs in the G - Force Simulator, sat in a mission control console, touched a Mars rock and landed the space shuttle. All these provided a true experience of Space Flight to the students of NPS International School.
On 2011, NASA Scientist Mark Lee explained to our students about NASA vision for space exploration. He told that exploration provides the foundation of our knowledge, technology, resources and inspiration. Through the platform of NASA, the students got a chance to touch the unknown, to learn and to understand. As they took their first step towards sustaining a human presence in the solar system, they can look forward to far off visions of the past becoming relatives of the future of the Globe.
Students of NPS International School were enlightened with the knowledge of various parts and different functions of the space craft (landing & launching) by the astronauts and scientists of NASA. Students got the golden opportunity to have lunch with the famous astronaut Mark Lee.
During the lunch he educated our students on the health problems they face in space, how to overcome them, and what kind of food they should take; in short, life style in the space was explained to the students. The entire NASA session training was a great learning experience for the students of NPS International School.