THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:Years ago, in the wake of the stupendous success of India’s moon mission, school children were given an opportunity to meet the then Isro chairman G Madhavan Nair in Thiruvananthapuram.
He cheerfully fielded the questions the wide-eyed youngsters hurled at him left and right, but the clock kept ticking. And Madhavan Nair, who was on a tight schedule, asked them to email him the remaining questions so that they wouldn’t be disappointed!
The subsequent Mars mission saw interest in space-related subjects soar even higher among the young.
Now, Isro’s premier unit, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thumba, has good news for youngsters bitten by the space bug. It is launching an exclusive portal for school students on space-related topics.
Billed as the first of its kind in the country, the student portal can be accessed via a link on the VSSC website vssc.gov.in. The portal will be formally launched during the Digital India Celebrations at the VSSC on Tuesday.
“It will provide details on rocketry and educational resources on space. Other attractions include animation videos and links to various related sites, including that of NASA’s,’’ a senior VSSC official said. ‘’It will be a growing website. We will keep adding info to it plus additional features. For instance, there will be lectures and resource materials that students can download and use.”
In future, the VSSC also plans to add a discussion forum to the portal. This will help students interact with VSSC scientists.They can post their queries on space-related matters, which will be answered by experts.
IT secretary M Sivasankar will inaugurate the Digital India Celebrations at a function that will be presided over by VSSC director S Somanath.