A teenybopper's quest for the unknown took him on a 10-day visit to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States, a fortnight ago.
Ibrahim Farseen was among the 23 high school students from India and the only one from Kerala to be selected for the programme in which they learned about space exploration, spacecraft and the hidden treasures in space. They also went through zero-gravity training. A Standard X student of St. John's International Residential School, Chennai, he is the son of Moosa Kunhi, cardiac surgeon at Lakeshore Hospital here.
He hails from Kasargod and studied in the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kadavanthra, till Standard VIII.
Yet to get over the exhilaration of the trip, Farseen spoke of how he appeared for a written test organised by the Altantis Space School, based on which he was selected for the U.S. trip. It probed the knowledge that the students had about space. Two teachers accompanied him to NASA.
“Trainers there took classes on different aspects of space. They showed us the interiors of space shuttles and satellites. We also witnessed the launch of NASA's recent space shuttle. We were shown three-dimensional visuals, which gave a real-life feel. If possible, I plan to study more on space,” said the soft-spoken boy.
The training programme at NASA was part of the mission planned to Mars in 2025. Apart from enjoying every moment of the training, he relished the places that he visited in Orlando.
