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AI Cadre undertook
their Self-Reliance
weekend at Bramley
training area in
preparation for
Easter Camp at the
beginning of April.
10
Over half term, students from Abingdon and St Helen’s travelled to
Russia’s Star City to take part in the Cosmonaut Space and Leadership
Experience. They were only the second British school group to have
lived and worked at the Russian Space Agency’s Gagarin Cosmonaut
Training Centre near Moscow. The students spent four nights living in the
Kosmonaut Hostel within the secure Star City complex. Here they were
under the constant guidance and instruction of a true expert in the field
of space exploration, ex-NASA Astronaut Dr Mike Foale CBE.
Jeremy Thomas, who accompanied the visit and who teaches Physics
at Abingdon said, “This was a truly unique experience for all the pupils.
Having Mike Foale for the whole trip was a fantastic opportunity that has
inspired most of them to consider future careers in space exploration.”
The students thoroughly enjoyed the training, including Soyuz docking
simulators and hands-on emergency evacuation and first aid procedures.
The most popular activity was the survival training in the forest
surrounding the complex, where top, military experts taught the students
how to build shelters and signal fires to survive sub-zero temperatures
until rescuers arrive.
The students also had time to visit Moscow’s iconic sites, including Red
Square and the Kremlin. They all thoroughly enjoyed the trip and made
a fantastic impression on their hosts who were genuinely impressed by
their knowledge and enthusiasm. The best compliment came from Mike
Foale, astronaut extraordinaire, who was overheard on the bus to the
airport saying, “That was the most fun I have ever had at Star City!”
Third and fourth year students, their parents and staff spent a memorable evening watching “Cultura of
China, Festival of Spring” performed by the professional artists from Jiangsu Province Department of
Culture. Acts included opera, acrobatics, folk songs, traditional instruments and dance.
Out and About
Exploring
Space in
Star City
Inside the airlock of the Mir training
module with astronaut Mike Foale
Joseph O’Shea (left)
and Tom Preston (right)
with a Russian Orlan
space walking suit