Could Crown Prince Haakon be the first royal in space? Well, he’s the first to start training for that possibility, so he already has the head start!
The Norwegian crown prince visited the Andøya Space Center last week to officially open the Spaceship Aurora, a new children’s centre that will teach young people about space and Norwegian space activities.
The Spaceship Aurora is an educational place to show drone simulations and satellite-related laboratory activities, and also includes “The Journey to Mars” an interactive experience.
The Journey to Mars experience allows kids to “train both body and mind to become an accomplished astronaut,” according to its official website, because, “When the training is done, an exciting mission awaits. Do you accept the challenge? As part of a crew of six, you will journey to Mars in our spaceship to collect samples to investigate the possibility of life on our neighbouring planet.”
While opening the facilities, Crown Prince Haakon said, “I can’t wait to see it. I’m inspired to be with you because I think you’re getting so much good. And then I think if you want to get something good, you have to aim for the stars.”
Spaceship Aurora also teaches young people about the Aurora Borealis, as the Andøya Space Center is located “two degrees north of the Arctic Circle, in the heart of Northern Norway and directly beneath the Aurora Borealis.”
A film playing in the auditorium at the Spaceship Aurora shows visitors how “rockets from Andøya are used in the exploration of the Northern Lights.”
Crown Prince Haakon sported his own spacesuit while joining youngsters at the Journey to Mars simulator and at the auditorium.
“Space is captivating at all ages, and Norway has an exciting space history to convey,” said Arne Hjalmar Hansen, Head of NAROM (Norwegian Center for Space-Related Education) in a statement on the Royal House’s website.
“The new centre will help to make us even better able to stimulate more children and young people to choose science and technology and to put Norwegian space activities on the map. It is also important to spread knowledge about the usefulness and importance of space operations in society.”
