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Chinese Students 'Blast Off' to US Space School

Six Chinese students last month enjoyed a one-week visit to Britain's Space School UK at the University of Leicester. Their trip was sponsored by the British Council, which operates in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy.

Such visits are for students with a strong interest in astronomy, and space science and technology. Space School UK has been accepting this type of student twice a year since 1989. Although attendance is largely by UK residents, students from China, Oman, Slovenia, Norway and Japan have attended in recent years. The program is actually run at the UK's National Space Center, which is currently making enormous headway in its research and development of remote sensing and radio telescopes.

Student groups are expected to take part in realistic situations that enable them to learn how science, mathematics and technology are used during real space missions. Those attending also meet space scientists and academics.

The British Council sponsored the Chinese visit as part of its School Links and UK science promotion programs. The former links schools in the UK with schools in China, allowing students and teachers to share information and knowledge, participate in exchange visits, and develop joint-curriculum projects and language learning programs together. Also planned is the organization of a Space School in China, in collaboration with Beijing Planetarium, this coming Summer. Tutors and students from the UK wil participate in this initiative.

"The School Links and science-collaboration programs will support more professional and students exchanges between Britain and China in the next 12 months--especially before Beagle 2, the British-led effort to land on Mars [part of the European Space Agency's Mars Express Mission], blasts off in June 2003," said Keith Davies, first secretary (Cultural and Scientific) and British Council deputy director.

Further information is available on: www.spaceschooluk.org