"Dreaming of an Earth-Moon Elevator"... Hanwha-KAIST Confirmed as 1st Cohort of 'Pebbles in Space'

Student Kim Yuna explaining the principle of rockets generating various forces. Photo by Hanwha

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] What if we put this small straw inside a big straw and adjust the blowing force... (Kim Yuna, 1st grade student at Gwanghee Middle School)"

"That principle is actually used in liquid rockets right now! (Professor Eunji Jeon, Department of Aerospace Engineering, KAIST)"

"Oh, really? (Kim Yuna, 1st grade student at Gwanghee Middle School)"

At 10 a.m. on the 25th of last month, an interview was held in Room 2601 of the KAIST Mechanical Engineering Building to select the first cohort of the unprecedented space prodigy development project 'Pebbles of the Universe,' created by Hanwha Space Hub and KAIST.

On the 4th, Hanwha Group announced that it will conduct the experiential space education program 'Pebbles of the Universe' for middle school students in grades 1 and 2 who are interested in space. At the interview on the 25th of last month, about 60 students who passed the 'essay screening' out of 1,414 applicants attended. The 'Pebbles of the Universe' management team asked students to submit essays expressing their thoughts about space instead of conventional self-introductions.

The evaluation committee, composed of KAIST professors, was surprised by the burst of fresh and creative ideas. In particular, the essay by Choi Chanhee, a 1st grade student at Balsan Middle School, titled "I will push space debris toward the sun to supply oxygen and incinerate it," and the essay by Kim Kangmin, a 1st grade student at Daechi Middle School, titled "I will apply the principle of muscle contraction and relaxation to build a base on the lunar surface that is resistant to temperature differences," were highly praised for creatively reinterpreting ideas that could have been ordinary and for viewing space not as a distant realm of exploration but as a place "we can visit soon" and researching accordingly.

At the interview venue, the idea of building an elevator between Earth and the Moon by Jeon Woojin, a 2nd grade student at Majon Middle School, attracted attention. Professor Daeyoung Lee of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST, who served as the mentor and evaluator for Pebbles of the Universe, said, "It was impressive to see him explaining his concept of building a feasible elevator by considering Earth's rotation, the Moon's orbital speed, and even slight changes in Earth's diameter, while drawing sketches on a sketchbook."

‘Space Mission Project’ with KAIST Mentors × ‘Humanities Conference’ with Kim Sangwook and Jung Jaeseung

The 30 students who passed the interview for the first cohort of Pebbles of the Universe will receive space prodigy education for six months from this month to December, using KAIST as their base camp. The main program is the 'Customized Space Mission Project for Middle School Students.' Eight active professors from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST and KAIST master's and doctoral mentors will form teams with the students to conduct the project.

At the same time, a 'Space Humanities Conference' will be held with Professor Sangwook Kim from Kyung Hee University’s Department of Physics, Professor Jaeseung Jung from KAIST’s Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, NASA Ambassador Dr. Paul Yoon, and others. After lectures and discussions, the 'space humanities' instructors will also have time to freely converse with the students over meals.

After completing the education, the first cohort of Pebbles of the Universe will receive benefits such as ▲a certificate of completion from the KAIST president ▲a voucher for courses at the KAIST Gifted Education Center ▲one-on-one career consulting with experts. Students with excellent team project results will also be given opportunities for overseas exploration early next year. The entire cost of the Pebbles of the Universe program’s education and training is fully covered by Hanwha Space Hub.