The CEO of Space School Africa is Adrian S Meyer.
To promote space science at school and college level, the National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) of South Africa created Space School Africa (SSA) as a co-curricular learning community, with the emphasis on anticipatory profiling.
Exploring space is a magical concept and many young students dream of travelling into space, discovering new worlds. Preparing for space however entails intensive training over many years. Early skills development is a crucial success factor, and the SSA programme therefore focuses on the development of skills from the seventh grade.
In wealthy schools various resources are available for students, who get involved in space science. The NYDT mission takes Space School Africa to schools located in disadvantaged school communities. One such school is Stanza Bopape Secondary School, north of Johannesburg, where 99% of the students live on or under the poverty line. A large number of the students in the school are orphans, for whom one meal per day for a whole month is an accomplishment. These students do not have computers at home. Many do not have all the required text books and have to make photocopies of the work they have to learn for class exams. They rely on totally under-resourced school libraries for research, and information they obtain at the SSA training sessions.
Very few of the students in disadvantaged school communities in South Africa have broadband-linked computers at home. But more than 70% of the students in urban areas have mobile phones and about 30% of those can link to the internet with their phones. So, mobile phone technology, albeit expensive, is really a factor in future activities of Space School Africa students.
What is a typical day at "Space School Africa"?
Our programme is internet-based but students living in the Johannesburg area, and some of those living elsewhere in South Africa, attend Saturday School and also 5-day internships during school holiday periods.
The SSA programme consists of the following modules:
- Astronomy - studying outer space as extreme environment
- Astrobiology - studying possible life forms in space and modern humans living and working in space
- Aerospace engineering - studying technology design, including satellites, rocketry and robotics
- Space Law - studying aspects of Space Law and arguing case studies in a Junior Commission of Investigation.
- Space medicine - studying the effects of extreme environments on the human body and searching for solutions to problems that astronauts encounter in space
- Space economics - studying aspects that relate to the cost of human habitation in space as well as the cost of technology design.
The NYDT has done pioneering work in Africa as far as Science-Based Competition (SBC) is concerned. The New Frontiers science programme has been created to facilitate participation of South African students in international science-based competitions. The New Frontiers programme is the gateway selection programme for students to participate officially in the international arena. Students who are selected to participate in international SBCs receive South African colours.
The focus is on future problem-solving, and the objective of the New Frontiers programme is on the discovery of new knowledge that will contribute towards the universal knowledge base of space science. Hence the name: the Discovery Science programme.
A second development corridor for students in South Africa is the individual research programme where students do research under the supervision of academics and career professionals, for the junior certificate in Knowledge Dynamics.
The Research Foundation for Emerging (space) Scientists was established to support and protect students, and to regulate science-based competition in South Africa. We are the first to introduce a Code of Conduct for emerging scientists in Africa.
A very popular event is the annual Lost in Space survival field trip to South Africa's Moon Valley. Various locations in South Africa are suitable for a Moon Valley survival expedition. In the past we presented the Lost in Space expedition in other Moon Valley - in Namibia, and also in our picturesque Richtersveld National Park. In 2007 the students went to the world famous Tswaing meteorite impact crater, north of Johannesburg.
The NYDT established Science Theatre in South Africa for students who have a passion for music and the arts. This culminated in the Where Science and Culture Meet Concert and Celebrity Fashion parade. This event has proven to be immensely popular among the students. Working in teams, students have to integrate Science and Culture. One of their projects last year was to compose a song about astronomy. They used hip-hop music to tell the story about the planets. Imagine that! But they came up with phrases like "Men are from Mars" and "Women are from Venus", "I am the Sun and I am hot"!! We are now working to get this on DVD with our Aviation Song ["Kids in the Sky"] and our heritage song.
Is there synergy between "Space School Africa" and the wider space community?
South African students will participate for the first time in the Boeing International's Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC). Space School Africa is the Africa coordinator of the ISSDC programme.
Astronomy in South Africa for school and college students is still in an embryo stage, and Space School Africa is doing pioneering work to set up an outbound astronomy competition for South African students. An international internship has been created, and students are able to attend the annual International Astronomy Youth Camp.
As from 2008, astronomy students in South Africa may participate in the Russian Open School Astronomical Olympiad by Correspondence (ROSAOC). This is a serious challenge, as the knowledge base of South African students as far as astrophysics is concerned is not very high in comparison to the rest of the world.
South African students have won their 3rd NASA Aerospace Design Competition for High Schools award in 2007 when two girls won the International Team Award.
A definite 10 year highlight for Space School Africa was the visit to South Africa by Canadian NASA Astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield (pictured here sending an SMS to astronauts on the International Space Station) and his wife Helene. They lectured students and teachers in several disadvantaged school communities.
One of our students has undertaken a biogenetics project to breed a new rose cultivar, to celebrate the contribution of partners and families to the success of astronauts' careers. The new rose will be known as the Helene Hadfield Rose. Who says space science is boring?
The 1st FAI Africa Cup for rocketry will take place in South Africa on 4 and 5 October 2008. It is a ground-breaking event as it is the first World Cup space modeling event for Africa and the Southern Hemisphere. It is also the southernmost official rocketry event. It is our mission to involve students and teachers in other African countries like Mozambique, Botswana, and even Madagascar and Mauritius. This is a daunting task in terms of time and money, but we have made a good start.
For me, an important aspect will be about the relationship between IAF and Space School Africa, and the projects our students can do with students from other countries within the IAF framework.
To be competitive in a global context, it is important for our students and teachers to interact with peers in other countries. IAF-affiliated academics and career professionals will contribute towards the skills development of students in Africa by acting as research supervisors and content judges in respect of the Space School Africa Discovery Science Programme.
