FIFTY years ago, on 20 July 1969, NASA’s famed Apollo 11 programme enabled the first humans to walk upon a different world, the earth’s only moon.
The world’s celebrations of this extraordinary feat of human ingenuity, remarkable maths and science, and certain individuals’ willingness to go where we have not gone before, are far from over. South African students and their families will soon have the rare opportunity to connect and engage with former NASA astronaut, Dr Don Thomas, a veteran of 692 space orbits of the earth.
STEM-based educational NGO Living Maths, is bringing Dr Thomas to Durban for the Space Tour 2019. Dr Thomas is a man on a generous mission to inspire what he often refers to as the ‘Mars Generation’ at a talk on Friday, 20 September at St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls, from 6.30pm to 9.30pm.
Becoming an astronaut is one of those aspirational careers that frequently features on the lists of children’s top dream jobs. Meeting Dr Thomas on his Space Tour brings the adventures of an astronaut out of the realms of books, TV shows and movies into their real-world experience. He gives learners and parents a different perspective of the possibilities of the not so distant future, at the time when human travel to Mars tops the current space agenda.
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Dr Thomas said: “I am excited about being a part of Living Maths’ Space Tour 2019 and look forward to sharing my experiences with the learners and general public in South Africa. It’s very special to be able to do this during the 50th anniversary year of the Apollo 11 moon landing. So while we celebrate that accomplishment, we hope to be inspiring the next generation of mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and astronauts to help us with the missions to our next destination in space – Mars! I look forward to meeting everyone during the tour.”
The 2019 Living Maths’ Space Tour provides a unique opportunity for South African children and their parents to think big and entertain the possibilities of what it means to live life in extraordinary ways.
Find out about what it is really like to be shot off the earth into space and to live and work in a shuttle while orbiting the planet. Learn about the ‘Overview Effect’, a life-changing experience for space travellers such as Dr Don Thomas which ripples out on earth for the greater benefit of humanity. Mars beckons, and we need our children to be fit and ready.
Ticket prices range between R50 and R100. To book tickets to attend the talk, visit: https://bit.ly/2kcE3ly and select the Durban talk.
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