Kimberley – South Africa ‘space scientists are recognised internationally and they play a big role in the development of space science technology.
These were the remarks of Dr. Woodrow Whitlow, an Associate Administrator for mission support at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Washington DC. He was speaking during the space science open day in Kimberley recently. He said South African scientist have played a huge role in the US space missions.
“South Africa is way beyond the norm with regard to the space science; we have so many well recognised space scientists coming from this country. Also it’s great honor to see how many young people are interested in this field today in this country, I’m optimistic that this country will have more space scientists in coming years judging by the interest from young South Africans”, Whitlow added.
Dr. Whitlow was addressing more than 500 learners from schools around Kimberley. The event was held at Diamantveld High School.
Since the advent of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project in Carnarvon, more learners from the surrounding schools have shown interest in the both Maths and Science subjects. Currently, there are more than 10 500 learners between Grade 10, 11 and 12 who are taking physical science subject at school.
This annual event which was organised by the Department of Science and Technology, South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement and provincial Department of Education, celebrate the contribution of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition.
This year’s theme is “Exploring Mars, Discovering Earth. Learners experimented with water rocket and CANSAT demonstration and a mobile planetarium.
One of the attendee’s learners Masego Mosala representing the Maths and Science leadership Academy said: “I’ve learned a lot in this open day, I’ve also learned that it will take me 8 years to become a qualified Astros expert”.-TDN
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