First Time on an Airplane, First Trip Abroad: Rural Pune Kids Leave for NASA Study Tour
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 14th November 2025: Twenty-five students from Zilla Parishad schools in rural Pune—most of whom had never stepped outside their villages—are set for a life-changing journey as they fly to the United States early tomorrow morning to visit NASA. The initiative, launched by the Pune Zilla Parishad, aims to nurture scientific curiosity among rural children and expose them to global research environments.
The students were formally flagged off from the Divisional Commissioner’s Office in Pune on Friday evening in the presence of Divisional Commissioner Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar and Zilla Parishad CEO Gajanan Patil. The group will travel to Mumbai tonight and board an early morning flight to the US.
The 10-day tour includes exclusive sessions at NASA, interactions with scientists, and visits to offices of global tech giants, including Google and Meta.
The Zilla Parishad undertook this project to seed scientific temperament among rural students. More than 13,000 students from government schools appeared for a three-stage examination conducted by the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA). From these, 75 students were selected—50 for the ISRO visit and 25 for the NASA tour. The ISRO batch completed its visit earlier, and the NASA group leaves today.
For many of these students, this is their first trip outside their village, their first time on an airplane, and their first exposure to international travel.
Speaking about the experience, Umar Shaikh from Indapur taluka said he never imagined he would travel all the way to NASA. “We appeared for the examination in school, and after clearing the test, we were interviewed at IUCAA. Now we are heading to the US. I’m excited to see how scientists at NASA work, what technologies they use, and what discoveries they have made,” he said. “We will also visit Google and Meta, which feels unbelievable.”
Another student, Bhaskar Tawre, said even stepping out of the district had been a rare experience for him until now. “Today, we are going straight to America. I want to see how research is done at NASA. After returning, I want to work on meaningful scientific research for India,” he added.
Zilla Parishad CEO Gajanan Patil said the initiative is part of the ‘Pune Model School’ project. “Opportunities for rural students to explore advanced scientific institutions are limited. Through this initiative, we want to broaden their horizons. These children are flying abroad for the first time, and such exposure will inspire them and support their future academic journeys,” he said.
Divisional Commissioner Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar praised the effort, calling it a transformative step for rural education. “The first batch has already visited ISRO, and now 25 students are on their way to NASA. They will interact with scientists and observe real-time research environments. The selection process through IUCAA ensures that the most deserving students are chosen. This initiative will significantly boost their confidence,” he said.
The students’ journey marks a rare and inspiring moment for rural Maharashtra, offering young minds a global window into the world of space science and technology.
