Astronaut camp for kids at Dandeli

 
Mission Apollo is conducting these camps and are aimed at kids aged 12 to 18 years and runs for six days. It is a combination of space exploration, adventure, leadership and personality skills according to Chris Barber, Director of the International Space School Foundation.

The kids will be trained by experts in the respective fields including Michelle Ham, a NASA astronaut trainer. Bandipur is also being considered as an alternate site for conducting the camps. The camp will be operational for nine months a year. The Karnataka Tourism Department is promoting the initiative. For more information about the camps, log on to www.missionapollo.com

Michelle Ham, a trainer at NASA expressed her enthusiasm to train the astronauts for the ISRO’s manned space flight. “I would be delighted and I would be honoured,” she said in response to whether she would like to work with ISRO on its human flight programme. Michelle has already made a presentation about her training programme, and stated that she would be happy to extend her expertise to ISRO.

Michelle has trained astronauts with the American, European, Japanese and Russian space agencies.

However ISRO officials when contacted about the presentation by Michelle downplayed it saying that they were looking for people, who could provide training in technical aspects and not personality skills. They denied that they would be taking it forward, saying that the training programme offered by Michelle was not essential to them at the moment.