More than 20 students who completed the Young Astronaut Training Camp were awarded certificates today at the Hong Kong Science Museum. Among them, three were honoured with the “Best Camper Performance” award.
 
During the nine-day training itinerary encompassing Beijing, Wenchang and Jiuquan, this year’s participants were given the opportunity to visit the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site located in Hainan, China’s most advanced rocket launch facility.
 
They also toured the Wenchang Aerospace Science Center and the Wenchang Aerospace Supercomputing Center to learn about data analysis and computation related to satellite launches, commercial aerospace operations, and space informatics.
 
Additionally, the participants visited the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to ascertain the developments in the manned spaceflight programme.
 
Alex Ngan, one of the participants who received the Best Camper Performance award, said that he was impressed and inspired by the tour.
 
“To see the sites where these historic events unfolded and to actually hear from the professionals that work in this field is an amazing experience, and I will remember it forever.
 
“And it will also give me the confidence that if these people can work on this, a project that seemed impossible at the time, I can work on it myself, and I can become - hopefully become - one of those people who will write the next chapter of history.
 
“And I believe everybody in this camp, after experiencing such an unforgettable experience, will have the same thoughts.”
 
Besides the visits, the students had the chance to speak with Liu Yang, the country’s first female astronaut. They expressed that they feel proud of the country’s achievements in space technology development.
 
Co-ordinated by the Hong Kong Space Museum, the Young Astronaut Training Camp has been held on 13 occasions, attracting nearly 400 students to join. This latest edition ran from July 26 to August 3.
 
Young astronauts were chosen after three rounds of a selection process that included a quiz on astronomy and space science, and a three-day pre-camp training and interview.
 
Hong Kong Space Museum Curator Timothy Ho pointed out that this learning opportunity is extremely valuable. He hopes that the participants will continue to learn from the unyielding spirit of the country’s astronauts to enhance their own knowledge and experience.