ASTRONAUTS ON CAMPUS!

The Association of Space Explorers held its annual congress in Budapest, and some of the participants visited other locations in Hungary for outreach to students and companies interested in space research and space science. 

 

The University of Miskolc was lucky enough to welcome astronauts/cosmonauts: Jeffrey A. Hoffman (USA), Christer Fuglesang (Sweden), John D. Olivas (USA), Michael A. Baker (USA), and Salizhan Sharipov (Russia). 

 

After being welcomed by the UM rector and the mayor of Miskolc, the visitors shared their experiences and thoughts with an audience of several hundred students, mainly from local secondary schools. 

 

Jeffrey Hoffman (who is currently a professor at MIT) said that this not his first visit to Hungary, nor even to Miskolc, and he always enjoys visiting. He stressed that space research has changed: earlier it was characterised by political rivalry between countries, especially during the American and Soviet space race, but now joint space research is very common. Everyone needs to work together to save our planet, and recognizing the importance of environmental protection works to generate progress in space research.