Clad in blue coats and trousers, 50 students of government schools across the State, are overwhelmed with joy as they are ready to visit Russia to have a first-hand experience in rocket and space science. They will be leaving Chennai on Saturday and return on October 7. Twelve teachers are also accompanying them.
They were among the 500 students who attended the online classes on rocket and space science conducted by A. Sivathanu Pillai, former Chief Executive Officer of BrahMos Aerospace and Chief Controller of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), when the country was reeling under the pandemic caused by COVID-19.
“We regularly conducted tests to filter the talents. The projects submitted by students were also taken into consideration to prepare the final list,” said Mr. Pillai, who would lead the team. In Russia, the students could learn a lot unlike the U.S. where access was limited. “But for the Ukraine war, the students can visit laboratories in Russia. The laboratories are busy because of the war,” he said.
