Kids Space Camp lets local youngsters play among the stars

Fixing a space rover on the moon is no small feat - especially when you're a 10-year-old wearing a spacesuit.

"On the moon, every small task is super hard," said Marco Liu Yiu-sing, 10, who took on the role of mission specialist in a space training simulation. But, he added: "If you can, just try - if you try, you can learn new things."

Liu and seven other "junior astronauts" participated in a programme sponsored by MassMutual Asia to send local children to US Space Camp.

For nine days in July, they underwent a children's version of astronaut training - including lectures and practical simulations - at the US Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, and the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

Now in its 16th year, MassMutual Asia's Junior Space Camp Programme aims to foster children's interest in space exploration and help them gain confidence by taking on new challenges. About 100 children aged seven to 11 have participated since the programme was launched in 1999.

For Liu, who wants to be an astronomer and engineer, it was a dream come true.

"I've always loved space," Liu said, adding that he was able to do a variety of new things such as learning how to command a control station and even trying space ice cream.