2003 Photo album - Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO)

HartRAO had school groups booked to visit every morning and afternoon. Each group comprised 60 learners and several accompanying educators. On Friday, 10 October, 60 educators from the Soweto area visited the Observatory. Each visit lasted two to three hours and included using astronomy-related interactives and a tour of the Observatory. A number of groups also visited the nearby Satellite Applications Centre of the CSIR. Most of the learners were from schools in Soweto, in a collaborative project with the area office of the Gauteng Education Department.

"Space provides a unique vantage-point from which to study the natural environment on the grandest possible scale and from which to to deliver communications, Earth observation and positioning / navigation services to people on the ground. Space science and technology form as much a part of the social, cultural and political landscape today as oceanic exploration did 300 years ago. The use of space for development in Africa presents opportunities that cannot be ignored, and South Africa is uniquely positioned to respond to these opportunities."
Dr Peter Martinez, National Working Group on Space Science & Technology