Opening Ceremony

We have some tough decisions ahead of us; we have to choose a team project. There are four offered and the goal is to choose something we dont know too much about: Space Traffic Management, On-orbit servicing, Lunar Archive, and Earthquake prediction and response using space. Take a guess as to what I'll pick, all of them are in the forefront of the space community and the reports will likely be used internationally in the future. Will let you know later :)

Ok, the afternoon and evening was the most incredible thing I've ever experienced (I have a feeling I am going to say that a lot). It started with the founder of ISU, Dr Richards, welcoming us into the ISU family. Then, in front of what seemed 20 photographers and videocameras, we were led into the hall where 4 rows of Chinese dignataries from Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and Beihang University, the ISU president and directors, embassy representatives, and others were present for the opening ceremony. We had a private viewing of the Beijing Opera and traditional singing and dancing routines performed for us. Ohh, but that was just the start! We were hosted at the nearby Plaza Hotel for a reception full of food from around the world, ladies in traditional costume, live traditional music, and a giant ice sculpture of the Chinese Long March rocket.





Four weeks of lectures start today, but we have the afternoon off to explore. Brian wants to get fitted for some suits and I'd like to check out the silk :)

Charity AR