HartRAO Home

World Space Week 2003/10/06-10


World Space Week was celebrated at HartRAO by bringing many learners to the observatory. A busload of visitors arrived every morning and afternoon during the week, most of them being from schools in Soweto. Each bus from Soweto carried four groups of fifteen learners from different schools. On the friday afternoon the educators from all these schools spent the afternoon at HartRAO and were able to see what their learners had experienced.

The programme was funded by the Department of Communications, and the Department of Science and Technology through SAASTA.

whisper dishes
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Whispering sweet nothings to friends using the Whisper Dishes was popular. Here Mziwanele Taele (who had joined the staff just 6 days previously) assists the learners.

turntable
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Understanding torque and gyroscopic effects was an eye-opener, again under the watchful eye of Mzi.

rocket
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Here a water bottle rocket has just leaped skyward, after guidance from astronomer Marion West.

moon suit
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Daphne Kedibone Lekgwathi helped take learners on "trips to the Moon". Here an astronaut is getting into her space suit for the trip.

deaf
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One group of learners came from a school for the deaf in Soweto. Their sign language speaker (in the red hat) kept them in touch with proceedings. Here the group learns about the sundial from Daphne.

group - tel
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A group congregate in front of the radio telescope.

mini-planetarium
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Mzi Taele explains the stars shown in the mini-planetarium.

at telescope
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Another group at the telescope...

mini-planetarium
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The mini-planetarium star show entranced the visitors.

sunspots
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Astronomer Marion West surprises the audience when they discover how large sunspots are.

turntable
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More fun on the turntable.

comet
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Pinball wizards try their at getting a comet to crash into Jupiter, as happened in 1996.

at telescope
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Another group up close and personal with the radio telescope.

launch
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Aftermath of another successful rocket launch.

telescope
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Posing at the telescope.

Mars show
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The visitors were able to take in a show on Mars.


created 2003/10/16 by Mike Gaylard.