The
NASA astronaut COLONEL JAMES DUTTON paid a visit to Oakridge International
School on September 25th 2013 to enunciate to the students of Grade
XI, XII and the faculty members, about his recent flight aboard space
shuttle Discovery as well as revisit cherished memories.
This
programme was graced by the presence of the Vice Principal Mr. Biju Baby, the
Sr Secondary Coordinator Ms Rajani Mandava and the Team Leader Mr. Mirza Baig.
A
speech was given by the Sr Secondary English Teacher Ms Anjum, to welcome the
distinguished guest and introduce him to the students, who applauded with joy
on hearing his achievements. The students seemed to be very excited and
thrilled to hear about the inspiring words of the famous astronaut and sharing
his expertise.
Col
James opened the session by informing us about his team members, their
qualifications and experiences in the field of Aeronautics. Dutton was
selected in May 2004 as one of 14 members of the 19th NASA astronaut class.
In
February 2006 he completed Astronaut Candidate Training that included
scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and
International Space Station systems, physiological training, T-38 flight
training, and water and wilderness survival training. In 2010 Dutton was the
pilot on the crew of STS-131 and has logged over 362 hours in space.
He
further stated that, NASA had assigned the crews for space shuttle missions
STS-130 and STS-131. The STS-130 mission delivered a third connecting module to
the International Space Station and a seven-windowed cupola to be used as a
control room for robotics. The STS-131 mission will deliver research and
science experiment equipment, a new sleeping area and supplies to the station
in a logistics module carried in the shuttle’s payload bay.
The
audience was treated to a film of the mission; Colonel Dutton flew on to the
International Space Station, while he regaled them with stories about living
and working in space. The students were mesmerized and spell bounded whilst
they were watching the video. The photographs taken from the cupola were
picturesque with beautiful images of the Earth from different angles.
It was very evident that the class
greatly appreciated the opportunity to have him answer any doubts, queries or
reservations they might have and be part of an open discussion wherein pressing
issues from the field were discussed. I think it was an exceptionally
informative session that allayed some of our fears and cleared up some of the
foggy impressions we had about space travel.
The session came to an end by Mr Biju
Baby, giving a vote of thanks to Col James Button for sharing his experience
and expertise and encouraging the students to work hard and reach their set
goals with strong determination.
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