Beyond the stars education

Imagine a visually impaired youth jumping off a Pamper Pole, experiencing Neutral Buoyancy, or landing a space shuttle on Mars. Beyond the Stars Education provides an incredible opportunity for Romanian visually impaired students to experience what it feels like to be an astronaut for seven days in a life-changing learning adventure.

The idea behind Beyond the Stars Education began in 2016 when I was selected as one of the few science teachers worldwide to participate in the HESA training at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Two years later, I became the HESA International Ambassador through NASA Education for the same program. During a presentation in 2016, I was shown a photo of a student atop a pole, jumping into the air (harnessed, of course) as part of the Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students (SCIVIS) program. At the end of the presentation, I sought more information about the program and learned that the student was visually impaired. I was astonished, as many sighted individuals might hesitate to attempt such a feat. Additionally, I found out that the program offered full scholarships for international visually impaired students, but none of the recipients were from Romania. This realization stirred mixed emotions in me—I was both impressed by the program's concept and deeply saddened by the lack of opportunities for students in my country. Determined to change that upon my return home, I began searching for Romanian visually impaired students who had a passion for space, a good command of English, and an openness to embracing new opportunities.