HUNTSVILLE – A group of 12 youngsters from Morocco and Algeria are getting an intensive look at what it’s like to be an astronaut during a visit this week to Space Camp at the U.S Space & Rocket Center.
The students – six from Morocco, six from Algeria – have spent the week undergoing hands-on drills while learning about the mental and physical demands of being an astronaut, engineer and
technologist.
The visit to Space Center was made possible through a partnership between the U.S. Embassies in Rabat, Morocco, and Algiers, along with the U.S. Commercial Service. The astronauts-in-training were selected after submitting 3-minute videos and an interview.
“The kids are all excited about science and space, and were selected from a large group of applicants to our ‘Race2Space’ competition,” said Janelle Luna, press attaché at the Embassy in Rabat.
Space Camp’s home in Huntsville, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, also serves as NASA’s Official Visitor Information Center for the Marshall Space Flight Center.
“Space Camp is an institution unlike any other, and when the program was designed, we knew that’s where we wanted to send them,” Luna said.
The students conclude their U.S. trip with a two-day visit to Washington, D.C.
Media Release/ Alabama Department Of Commerce
Photo By:
Courtesy of U.S. Embassy, Rabat