Info on The First African in Space Amatuer Radio Initiative

29 April 2002
Bishops Diocesan College, Cape Town
Attendance: 250 people ­ 231 pupils & 9 teachers from 6 schools.

Two of the six participating schools in this radio link-up were attended by Mark Shuttleworth, Western Province Preparatory School and Bishops Diocesan College where he was also head boy. One of their partner schools, St. Josephs, and three previously disadvantaged schools where they are running an upliftment program will also be present.

Bishops College is creating a "Time Capsule" to celebrate the historic event of the first African in space. Various items of interest will be placed into the capsule that will only be opened in the year 2052.
Items such as the school roll, Marks old laptop, newspapers, school magazines 1991-92, as well as letters from former President, Mandela and other dignitaries. The capsule is to be placed under a flagstone at the entrance to the Science block with an inscription on it, to commemorate the historic event.

30 April 2002
Chatsworth, Kwazulu Natal
Attendance: 300 people - pupils & teachers from 13 schools mostly from previously disadvantaged communities + media officials.

Durban, in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, the ancestral home of the Nguni people, is a major getaway to Africa. Chatsworth, where the First African in Space Amateur Radio Initiative will take place has a predominately Indian population. 13 schools, each represented by 20 pupils plus one teacher, from the Durban South region have been invited to attend the event. All the invited principals have expressed the schoolıs as well as all learnersı excitement over the event!

2 May 2002
Vodaworld, Talk 100 Auditorium, Midrand, Johannesburg
Attendance:188 people: pupils & teachers from the Midrand / Kempton Park area, media, Department of Education officials.

The Gauteng province (Gauteng meaning ŒPlace of Goldı) is the seat of the South African government and administration. It is also one of the largest industrial regions in the southern hemisphere. Vodaworld is the worldıs only one-stop cellular mall situated in Midrand, halfway between Johannesburg and Pretoria.

13 schools were identified by the Department of Education mostly from the Midrand / Halfway House areas. The audience of learners are selected from grades 7 to 9 are aged between 12 and 14 years of age. This is due to the fact that in grade 10, these learners finalise the choice of subjects that they will take to matriculation level. Synchronised with the Department of Educationıs strategy for Science and Mathematics education, one of the First African in Space projectıs educational objectives is to encourage learners to take these subjects as part of their selection of matriculation subjects.

3 May 2002
Khayelitsha
Attendance: 300 people - pupils & teachers mostly from disadvantage communities.

Khayelitsha is a large, predominantly informal settlement located some 30km from Cape Town. It is one of the newest townships in Cape Town, but already has one of the largest in South Africa, with over one million people. Many of its residents are migrants from the Eastern Cape, and the most common language spoken is Xhosa. The population is also made up of people from other parts of South Africa and the African continent.