NASA scientist gifts telescope to school

Ramgarh: A public school in Chitarpur, Ramgarh, has received a major boost to its science education programme after Murthy Gudipati, a principal investigative scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, gifted the instution the sophisticated Meade ETX 80 telescope.The director of Mount Everest Public School, Sajid Hussain, said, "The telescope arrived three days ago and has sparked curiosity among the students. It will enable students to observe celestial bodies and the hands-on experience will enhance their understanding on space science.""Our mission is to inspire and prepare rural students to follow in the footsteps of Indian astronauts like Rakesh Sharma, Kalpana Chawla, and Sunita Williams," he added.The telescope reached the school days before Sunita Williams' returned from the International Space Station. Children from nearby villages are taking part in the stargazing sessions.