Kolkata space enthusiasts and students catch lift-off on screen
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The docking of the Dragon with the International Space Station, scheduled around 4.30 pm on Thursday, will be screened live at Birla Industrial & Technological Museum (BITM), with open house quiz and interactive science demonstration of rocket science of Falcon 9 and crew of Dragon spacecraft from 2 pm.
On Wednesday, science students of classes 11 and 12 at Jadavpur Vidyapith gathered in an auditorium where a projector had been set up screen the blast-off from Florida.
School headmaster Partha Pratim Baidya said, "We arranged it very quickly, and within a few seconds of being informed, the science students gathered at the hall. As the headmaster of the school, it's my responsibility to motivate children who have a keen interest in this matter.
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Class 12 student Sumit Chel said, "It was a wonderful experience, which I could share with my friends and teachers. I have an inclination towards these things, and being a witness to such a historic event has made me proud as an Indian."
Class 11student Anushka Acharya said, "Rakesh Sharma's journey to space was in our textbook, but this I experienced sitting in front of the projector. I was spellbound just watching it."
St Augustine's Day School, Shyamnagar, also arranged a programme for students of classes 6 and 7 to watch the live streaming of the event. School principal Rodney Borneo said, "Our students were excited to watch the live streaming sitting at school.
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They cheered and clapped continuously when the mission was successfully launched. Some of the school coordinators were there to clear their doubts. Many students have also sketched and written articles on the theme.
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The Newtown School principal Satabdi Bhattacharjee said they had a special session on space science and atmospheric science where speaker Arkapravo Sarkar, a professor at Suffolk University, talked about Shukla and spoke about how science influences our future on Earth. "We are planning to arrange a special assembly on Friday where we will play the recording to motivate our students."
Some other schools, like Lakshmipat Singhania Academy and Rammohan Mission, are planning to organise special programmes shortly to celebrate this historic moment.
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