A 17-year-old Nigerian girl will be the first African to participate in the world weightlessness flight scheduled for Sept. 23, the official News Agency of Nigeria reported on Monday.
Robert Boroffice, director general of the National Space Research and Development Agency, was quoted as saying that the flight, which would take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the United States, "is an initiative of the non-government Spaceweek International Association (SIA)."
He added that the Nigerian girl called Stella Felix from Nigeria's southern state of Ebonyi, is an SS3 student of the Moremi High School, Ile-Ife. She was selected for the trip out of 400 students from 101 schools in Nigeria's south-west geo-political zone.
"Felix was picked based on the criteria sent in by the SIA requesting that the nominee be a female student aged between 15 and 18 from a poor family with a compelling story," he said.
"She will be the first international student to fly on a zero-Gplane from the Kennedy Space Center," he added.
Speaking on the planned trip, Boroffice said the flight would be a two-hour mission on board G-Force One. He added that the zero-G parabolic flight would be manned by trained pilots maneuvering the aircraft between 24,000 feet (7,200 meters) and 32,000 feet (9,600 meters) altitude.
"The goal of the program is to use space to inspire education on a global basis while promoting international understanding among the youth," he said.
According to Nigerian Federal Minister of Science and Technology Turner Isoun, the planned trip would be a good opportunity to showcase space education to Nigerian school children.
He said "the trip will further strengthen Nigeria's determination to deploy space science to every facet of the economy."
He said a Nigerian teenage astronaut would definitely boost the recently launched 25-year road map for the acquisition of the know-how in space science and technology. Enditem






culled from: http://english.sina.com/technology/1...918/89526.html

This I like and in a way is very Nigerian. Despite all that is wrong governments still have big ambition in particular areas...A bit like Iraq in a weird kind of way or Libya under Gaddaffi.

When democracy comes to Nigeria which it will because people are people and they can only take so much shit, before some really get brave and risk all...The people god willing will inherit some advance technology or the potential to do so...

In the Caribbean now our leaders use our size to excuse their lack of basic ambition.

FB

Felix was picked based on the criteria sent in by the SIA requesting that the nominee be a female student aged between 15 and 18 from a poor family with a compelling story," he said.confused3

Good for her........it a once in a lifetime opportunity.

@BS you probably know more about this than most of us from abroad. And you are probably right about the politics, but my view is this is an African from wherever (particularly in poor countries) get that opportunity regardless of the racial tokenism they should take it.

When our children in them parts are developing an interest and god willing expertise in this area, who gives a rats arse against the minimal costs involved. I was once selected to participate on an international exchange schemefor high performing young leaders. The scheme was funded by the Freemasons (well a famousorganisation which is a front for the masons in the UK)and I was nominated by my Chief Constable and had to go through these really gruelling tests intellectually and elsewhere.

Did I not know I was the only black person there and what the agenda of many of those on the panel. Like **** I knew. End game I have the experience and expertise gained from that opportunity which I use against the very same people and their children alll day...bro.

Plus put that shit on your CV and watch mouths drop...

Thumbs up to the sister big time..

Black people got to play games which are ultimately about what is good for us, not what is good for them. Let them think they are smart..confused3

FBniceone.gif

@FB... "Black people got to play games which are ultimately about what is good for us, not what is good for them. Let them think they are smart.."




Indeed gats to agree with the above! On the money on this one!!!

We need more than that and we deserve more than that.


God Bless Africa

FredB wrote: The Carribean has lack of ambition of what in comparison?

@Rammcsnake..In resource terms no comparisons ie phsyical resources that is. But I do agree with Sir Arthur Lewis that we have failed to realise our intellectual resources as problem solvers is not directly diminished by our comparative size.

Why should we not place empathsi on the mastery of our enviroment and our universe in terms of education, in conjunction with matters of basic economic development. They are not mutually exclusive concepts, but simply one of conceptualisation.

FBconfused3