The Space India office in Sector 11, Dwarka, was turned into a portal to the cosmos on Monday, January 20, 2025, as young minds from various schools came together for an exciting 9th workshop under the prestigious US Embassy workshop series. Titled “Mission ISS – A Virtual Reality Astronaut Experience,”.Organized through a collaboration between Space India and the American Center, this event aimed to educate and inspire students about the International Space Station (ISS) and the life of astronauts in space, providing them with hands-on experiences that brought space science to life. Students from Mahavir Senior Model School, Maxfort School, Prudence School, Amity International School, K.R. Mangalam World School, Sachdeva Global School, and many more arrived with excitement and eagerness. The space team welcomed teachers, parents, and participants with a warm welcome that set the tone for an enriching day of discovery and learning.
The workshop began with an enthralling presentation by an expert astronomer, guiding students through the vast realm of space exploration. A major highlight has been the intense discussion on ISS, an embodiment of international cooperation and an inevitable stepping stone for future interplanetary missions. The excitement crested when the participants went aboard the ISS via a virtual reality mission using Oculus Meta Quest VR headsets and witnessed the problems and wonders of microgravity themselves. Students also participated in hands-on activities to help them understand better astronaut life, building a space suit cooling system that would keep temperature regulation manageable by using plastic tubing and bottles, constructing a solar panel array to find out how exactly solar energy powers the Space Station, and learning about maximum absorption garments as a method of hygiene and comfort in space.
While students extensively went about learning space science through virtual experiments and hands-on experiments, parents and teachers attended a special interactive session led by the other astronomer. This segment introduced the Stellarium app, an important utility for amateur astronomers to find celestial bodies in the night sky, and the upcoming planetary parade event. Teachers and parents found the session inspiring, as it rekindled their own fascination with space and encouraged students to dive deeper into scientific exploration.
The astronomy workshop was a resounding success, blending state-of-the-art technology, hands-on learning, and expert guidance to ignite a passion for space science. It was an unforgettable journey beyond Earth, leaving participants with a newfound appreciation for the universe and its infinite possibilities. Students, teachers, and parents departed from the event with bright eyes and curious minds. The event turned out to be a stepping stone for young dreamers who would eventually stand in the frontlines of humanity in their quest for exploring the stars.
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