Visually impaired youngsters invited to Astrium’s Space Technology site

A rather special event recently took place at Astrium’s Elancourt site just outside Paris, when a group of visually impaired youngsters were invited for a very hands-on visit of the plant, which specialises in the design and manufacture of electronic equipment for space rockets and satellites.

Astrium attaches a great deal of importance to activities which reach out to the wider community in an endeavour to raise the profile of the space industry, explain how it works and what it contributes to the betterment of human lives.

These activities seek to connect with a number of different audiences, from decision-makers to the ordinary man and woman in the street. Making contact with young people in an inclusive manner is a priority, since they are the space engineers and the politicians of the future.

A big hit with the children was a ‘foam model’ of the Ariane 5 launcher, with which they could really get to grips, giving them a proper feel for the shape and constituent elements of the rocket. Its presence that day was serendipitous, a neat example of agile thinking on the part of Astrium’s Model Manager, who was called upon to provide mock-ups of a number of the company’s products to enliven the children’s visit. She realised that an unlikely object tucked away in a cupboard was just the thing.

Read more here: Visually impaired youngsters invited for a hands-on visit of Astrium’s Elancourt site