2019少年太空人體驗營

My interest in astronomy stemmed from the internet, coming upon me one day when I stumbled across a YouTube video comparing the size of various cosmological objects. I was fascinated by the majestic creations in our universe immediately and gradually immersed myself into the field of astronomy ever since. Therefore, when I heard about the Young Astronaut Training Camp, I was eager to take my interest to the next level.

After three rounds of selection, testing our astronomy knowledge, physical strength, leadership and co-operation, I became one of the lucky candidates who had the privilege of joining the camp. On the day of departure, thirty enthusiastic youngsters gathered at the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, chatting, giggling and frolicking around. We waited for the high speed train in anticipation. None of us could perceive the memorable and fruitful trip that we would undergo in the following days.

During our astronomy tour, we visited the world's largest radio telescope, a well equipped observatory, a satellite launch centre and an astronaut training centre in China, most of which I have only seen in photos before. Whenever I visited a site, I was thrilled about the rapid development of astronomy technology in China. After all, I was standing at places where certain aerospace technologies that shook the whole world were achieved! At the thought of this, I couldn’t resist the urge to grab my phone and snap a few pictures of these legendary places.

On the sixth day of our tour, we went to the XingLong Observatory. At dusk, we climbed up to the roof of a building and gazed at the stars. As the final rays of the sun fell beyond the horizon, stars popped up in the night sky as little dots of lights with a faint glow. In an instance, the vast dome above our heads was filled with countless numbers of stars. As I lay down to admire the picturesque night sky, my thoughts drifted away from that moment. In Hong Kong, a metropolis buzzing with economic activities at night, the brilliant night sky was often concealed by strong and long lasting neon lights. I couldn’t help but feel pity that we couldn’t see such a beautiful sight in Hong Kong. At the corner of my eye, a meteor tore across the sky. I closed my eyes, put my hands together and made a wish: I hoped that every one of us could switch off unnecessary lights at night. We must spare no effort to alleviate the serious light pollution in areas away from our city centre.

My astronaut training camp is a joyous and informative experience. The extraordinary astronauts, the places and the events that happened during the nine-day trip will be embedded in my memory forever.