Thursday, February 6, 2014

26 vying to be first Singaporean to fly into space

One to be chosen by April 2015 for Aug 9 launch on S'pore's 50th birthday


Published on Feb 07, 2014 8:10 AM



A 15-year-old girl, a former soldier who has climbed Mount Everest and Singapore Airlines (SIA) pilots are among 26 Singaporeans vying to become the first citizen to pilot a craft into near space - more than 20km above sea level.


Seven of them were picked to face the nation for the first time yesterday at the Global Space & Technology Convention held at Sheraton Towers.


Whittled down from an initial list of 126 are 22 men, 20 of whom are currently pilots for SIA. The women include two Nanyang Technological University (NTU) undergraduates and a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the United States.


One of the 26 will be chosen by April next year to be launched into the atmosphere on National Day, Aug 9, 2015 - Singapore's 50th birthday - according to plans by the Science Centre Board, the Singapore Space and Technology Association, and IN.Genius, a local firm focusing on high-tech energy solutions.


TO READ THE FULL STORY...

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.comments powered by


No comments:

Post a Comment