Ａ Ｔｒｉｐ ｏｆ Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓｈｉｐ，Ｓｃｉｅｎｃｅ ａｎｄ Ｔｅｃｈｎｏｌｏｇｙ

Invited by the Russian organization concerned the Chinese Teenager Astronautics Delegation of 51 members jointly sent by the CPAFFC， the China Association for Science and Technology and the Chinese Society of Astronautics， went to participate in the astronautics summer camp in Russia from July 12 to 21.

It is most accurate to call their visit to Russia a “trip of astronautic science and technology”. The delegation visited the Space Museum of Rocket and Space Corporation Energia， the Mission Control Centre and the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in the city of Korolev， the Monino Air Force Museum and the Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics in Kaluga. The summer camp included various activities of different forms which increased the knowledge of the students and widened their vision， deepening their love for astronautic undertakings.

In the Space Museum of Rocket and Space Corporation Energia of Korolev， the students saw a spare copy of the world’s first artificial earth satellite， many manned space shuttles and its duplicates， different carrier rockets made during and after the Soviet times and a duplicate of the Mir space station. In front of the re-entry modules which once carried the first cosmonaut Gagarin and the first woman cosmonaut Tereshkova， all the students were busy taking pictures to catch the unforgettable moment.

What was more unforgettable was that at the Mission Control Centre， the delegation had a face to face contact with two cosmonauts who not only had flown into the outer space， but also had carried out some tasks outside the module. Patiently they gave detailed answers to all kinds of questions raised by the students.

It is widely known that on April 12， 1961， the world’s first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin flew into the outer space by the spacecraft “Vostok I”， and safely landed after his 108-minute travel in space. Since then， many cosmonauts have been sent to space by the Soviet Union and Russia. Before their flight to the space， cosmonauts like Gagarin and Tereshkova received their training in the same place， namely the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. According to the introduction， the centre has trained over 300 astronauts from different countries since 1960. At the centre， the Russian cosmonautics specialist explained the Mir space station to the students， and proudly showed them the pictures which marked the grand success of the Soviet Union in its astronautic cause.

The students visited the model of Mir space station there， which was as big as the real one and was used to train the cosmonauts to perform their work in the space module. They also had a look round the underwater laboratory which simulated the zero gravity condition in space for the space work training， and a super sized centrifuge of 18 metres in length and 300 tons in weight which created the overweight environment for flight training.

Through their visit to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre，the students gained more specific knowledge on what makes a good cosmonaut. To master the complicated skills for operating a spacecraft and learn to deal with all kinds of unexpected events， a cosmonaut should have good health， a strong will and great psychological endurance， be able to adjust to and stand the special environment of space travel. He needs not only advanced knowledge of science to go through the astronautic skill training and fulfill the tasks of complex scientific experiments， but also the great spirit of dedication and steadfast faith in his ideal. The students were marveled at how difficult it is to become a cosmonaut who has to make such great efforts and endure those unimaginable hardships for realizing men’s dream of flying into and explore the outer space. The students’ admiration for the cosmonauts was even more than before.

Tsiolkovsky is the founding father of the astronautic theories. As early as in 1885， he presented his idea of launching a manmade earth satellite in his science fiction. In 1903， he put forward the rocket formula. In 1924， he made a spindle-shaped spacecraft design. He made achievements in many aspects of astronautic theories， greatly contributed to the astronautic cause of mankind. Because of this， the delegation went to Kaluga to visit the Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics where the students learned the whole process of development of astronautical technology. To their amazement， the students found that the forefather of rocket was a Chinese in ancient times， called Wan Hu. They also saw the model of “Vostok” carrier rocket， the model of the only unmanned space shuttle “Buran” of the Soviet Union， and the spacesuit， space food， etc..

During the ten-day summer camp， besides the above mentioned aerospace facilities and museums， the delegation went to Moscow and St. Petersburg where they paid respects to the Lenin Mausoleum， and visited the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War commemorating the great war won by the Soviet Union.

During their 10-day’s stay in Russia， the delegation experienced the hospitality and friendship of the Russian people everywhere. They stayed at the Peace Camp of the Tishkovo Federal Sanatorium. There the students were deeply impressed not only by the lush green forests and the lake glittering with the sunset glow， but especially by the warmth and friendship of the Russian teenagers， which was all the more unforgettable. On the first day of the delegation’s arrival， the Russian teenagers who were enjoying their summer camp there greeted the Chinese Students in English and exchanged gifts with them. Enthusiastically， many of them held red scarves， clothes， notebooks or even pieces of paper， asking the Chinese students to give autographs which made them feel like “stars”. In the Peace Camp， the Chinese and Russian teenagers took part in sports competitions， art performances and dancing parties together， and forged a deep friendship. They enjoyed a happy and friendly atmosphere as if in a peaceful and happy big family.