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2 girls to represent India at NASA astronaut camp

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-16 15:10

NEW DELHI -- Two students from Tagore Bal Niketan Senior Secondary School, Karnal in the northern Indian state of Haryana, will represent India at astronaut's camp at United Space School Foundation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) John Space Center in Houston, local daily The Tribune said on Monday.

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NASA's Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who died in the Columbia shuttle aircraft tragic crash on February 1, 2003, was from the same school. Since 1998, due to Chawla's efforts, two students have been going each year from the school to the camp.

This year, students from 26 countries will represent their cultural heritage through dance or plays in the camp from July 26 to August 10, at the invitation of NASA, to see the working environment and lifestyle of astronauts.

The Indian students visiting this year are Nivedita Mittal and Palak Aggarwal. Nivedita said that they had worked hard on projects given to them by NASA and would do their best to represent India, the newspaper reported.