Czech students will spend their vacation by visiting NASA or building their own satellite
Prague, 1 July 2010 - Thanks to the support of the CSO, Czech students will attend a summer camp at NASA in the American Huntsville, prestigious courses in Germany, Sweden or Italy or the Europe-wide competition in the construction of student satellites in Norway.
"Our long term goal is to introduce astronautics to the students as a modern scientific discipline which is worth studying with regard to building a professional career. It is important to show young people that their use in the astronautics is, for those who want to pursue this field, attainable," says Milan Halousek, Head of Education department in Czech Space Office.
CSO is also a co-organizer of the competition for the young people interested in space called Mars Expedition, the seventh edition of which will be launched in July this year. The competition, which is annually attended by several hundred children aged from 10 to 17 years, seeks and supports the young students who want to get know more about astronautics, astronomy and the secrets of the universe. The best ten students who will get over obstacles of competition Mars Expedition after several months, will take part in the finale of several-day aerospace training in the Belgian Space Center for Youth and meet Mr Vladimir Remek, the first Czechoslovak astronaut and EuroMP, who is the patron of the competition.
There is the new competition suitable for high school students, which is about the design and construction of a simple student satellite in a can of drink - CanSat. Although this satellite will fly only to a height of the several hundred meters and then fall back, during its preparation students can try out activities similar to preparation and testing of real satellites. At the first Europe-wide competition in the Norwegian Space Center in Andoya, in August 2010 the Czech Republic will be represented by a team from the Grammar School in Zdar nad Sazavou. For 2011, the CSO plans to organize the national student competition in the construction of these small satellites in a can.
For the youngest ones interested in the universe there is the current Europe-wide art Space Gallery contest, or the global art competition, within which students can express their ideas about the future of human space exploration – in a form of visual, literary, musical, or digital art. CSO has been also involved in the preparation of a new global event focused on healthy lifestyle of the young generation, which will be called Mission X: Train like an astronaut and which will be launched in autumn this year.