Mission Discovery India explores space education

Hyderabad: Mission Discovery India programme held at Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, recently. The mission organised in collaboration with Young Edsplorer (an innovative learning organisation that works in partnership with schools to promote the concept of Experiential Education) and International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET), UK. More than 150 students from The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet as well as other schools region participated in the programme. 17 Teams presented their Research Projects on various topics to the visiting National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Team.

Dominic A Antonelli a retired NASA astronaut- elected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in July 2000, Antonelli served in various technical assignments until his assignment to a mission. He served as pilot on the STS-119 mission which launched on March 15, 2009. The flight delivered the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and truss element to the International Space Station. Antonelli was assigned as pilot on the STS-132 mission, launched on May 14, 2010. The mission saw the delivery of the Russian Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station The experts are educated students about how NASA builds a team of astronauts, the journey to Mars, how to become an astronaut, the International Space Station environment and its expeditions. Students also learnt about pharmacology and space and how the earth looks like from the inky blackness of space. The emphasis was on real-life issues linked to space and its limiting environment.

Skand Bali, Principal of Hyderabad Public School said, Science and Technology have always been an integral part of Indian culture. Natural philosophy, as it was termed in those ancient times, was pursued vigorously at institutions of higher learning. Science is the pursuit of knowledge about the natural world through systematic observation and experiments. Through science, we develop new technologies. Technology is the application of scientifically gained knowledge for practical purpose. In doing so, The Hyderabad Public School has always been taken a leading role in providing teaching the scientific method to students about how to think, learn, solve problems and make informed decisions. These skills are integral to every aspect of a student's education and life, from school to career. Association with Young Edsplorer is another step in our mission so that our students are given an opportunity to Experiential Education and gain the required experience to stimulate their interest and explore further. We are sure that our students will make use of it and explore further and contribute and support in all endeavors made to protect the environment and its natural resources.
Swati Wadhawan - Director Young Edsplorer said, “We are exceptionally energetic to work in association with schools to advance the idea of Experiential Learning which is the way toward learning through involvement, and is more particularly characterised as - Learning through reflection on doing. Young Edsplorer aims to alter the idea of learning through experiences for school students in the Indian Subcontinent. Giving in the energy of this potential, our central goal is to give the most extreme youthful personalities a chance to investigate world and the environment around themselves”.

Participating students have been divided into 15 teams comprising 7 students each (from class 7th upwards), to design models/experiments to mitigate space limitations. One such experiment will be selected to be launched into the space. The winning experiments from past global Mission Discovery programmes have investigated issues such as the effectiveness of treatment of conjunctivitis in microgravity, and carbon dioxide consumption by cacti in space. Mission Discovery is organised by Young Edsplorer Pvt. Ltd. It is a global programme conducted in the UK, USA, China, Australia and India. It inspires school students by offering them an opportunity to have their ideas carried out by astronauts as they orbit the earth on the International Space Station. Students also get to learn firsthand from astronauts, world-famous scientists and NASA leaders.