Mr. James Christensen, the lead instructor of the Space Trek Program (a presidential awardee veteran Science teacher from US) visited our school to interact with students of Class 9.
Mr James had an interactive session with our students concerning NASA, spaceflight, and microgravity. He spoke to the students about experiences he has had including flying aboard NASA’s Reduced Gravity Aircraft.
Mr. Jim Christensen’s Visit to Vasant Valley School
On the 25th of February, we were visited by Mr. Jim Christensen. He is a distinguished scientist who has worked with many astrological associations including the world renowned organization – NASA. He told us a lot about the kinds of things that are done in various schools to inculcate ideas and new teachings about space. He has visited India several times before; he told us about how much he admires India and Indian culture, and that he learns something new every time he visits our country. Mr. Christensen spoke about three different things at large, the first being how a space shuttle functions, followed by the gravitational pull that celestial bodies have, and lastly, what it feels like to be in space.
He taught us about the space shuttle’s functions and what it mainly consists of- solid rocket boosters containing rocket fuel, a large external tank and the main shuttle. He also briefly spoke about the attraction between the earth and the moon. Then he began showing us videos of astronauts in space dealing with zero gravity, and shared some funny experiences of his travels with us. It was all so exciting to see!
He was extremely interactive and demonstrative; all of us in class nine enjoyed learning about his various experiences in space and the organizations he has associated with all around the world. He was very warm and we all thoroughly enjoyed his company. We were humbled by the time he had taken out to talk to all of us and are sanguine to interact with him yet again. Priyanshi Kumar – 9C