In celebration of the 45th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz docking and the ‘handshake in space’ which took place on July 17, 1975 between Soviet Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov and American astronaut Thomas Stafford, the U.S. Embassy Moscow is proud to launch the Apollo-Soyuz anniversary celebration exchange programs. There are two U.S. Embassy Apollo-Soyuz exchanges, SOLAR (Space-Oriented Learning for Americans and Russians Program) and FLARE (Future Leaders in Astronautics Research and Exploration).
SOLAR is a 6-week exchange program for 10 Russian and 10 American participants. Science-related activities will take place both in the United States and Russia in the summer of 2020. The deadline is February 23, 2020, 23:59 Moscow time. Please follow the link to apply:
http://solarprogram.space/
FLARE is a 2-week exchange program for Russian students currently in the 10th grade. Participants will attend Space Camp in Huntsville Alabama and participate in scientific workshops and forums with students from around the world at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the summer of 2020. The deadline is December 30, 2019, 23:59 Moscow time.
Please follow this link to apply:
https://forms.gle/TjiFCWJ6KWGKyGcu6
Complete information about both programs can be found below. This program is free. The program will cover all participant costs, including: air travel and ground transportation; visa application fees; and housing and food. Winners must have an international passports and permission from parents to travel to the United States of America.
From left to right: Flight Engineers Andrew Morgan, Oleg Skripochka, Jessica Meir, Christina Koch and Alexander Skvortsov and Commander Luca Parmitano.
SOLAR
The Apollo-Soyuz Youth Partnership Program “Space-Oriented Learning for Americans and Russians Program – SOLAR” is an exchange program launched by the U.S. Embassy in Russia to foster greater understanding and friendship between American and Russian youth, encourage American and Russian teenagers to learn about space exploration and promote cultural, STEM, and engineering opportunities.
SOLAR will bring together American and Russian high-school students, ages 15-17, who are interested in STEM and who want to discover more about the other country’s culture. The program runs for six continuous weeks during the summer of 2020 in the United States and Russia.
Students selected for the program will jointly participate in space history and STEM-related activities at historically important aerospace sites in the United States and Russia. The program will consist of space and engineering camps, interactive group activities, and site visits. The students will learn about the history of space exploration, and gain knowledge about American-Russian space cooperation.
Participants will be selected based on their interest in science and aerospace fields, critical thinking, English language (for Russian students) or interest in Russian language and culture (for American students), and leadership ability.
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- A citizen of the United States and/or Russia
- Be 15-17 years old
- Able to travel for 6 weeks during July-August of 2020
- Able to provide parents’ consent document that permits international travel.
Timeline:
- February 23, 2020: Application Deadline
- March 2020: Notification of the Semi-Finalists
- April 2020: On-line Interviews with the Semi-Finalists
- End of April – beginning of May: Notification of the Finalists
- July-August 2020: Participants Travel to the U.S. and Russia
The deadline for submitting applications is February 23, 2020, 23:59 Moscow time.
Please follow the link to apply:
http://solarprogram.space/
FLARE
The Apollo-Soyuz Youth Exchange Program “Future Leaders in Astronautics Research and Exploration – FLARE” is an exchange program for Russian youth implemented by the University of Alabama in Huntsville to promote an understanding of the need for global cooperation on issues of critical importance to our world.
FLARE will allow Russian high-school students currently studying in the 10th grade in a Russian high school to travel to the United States for two weeks in late July and August of 2020.
Students selected for the program will participate in the US Space and Rocket Center’s Space Camp, a world-renowned weeklong aeronautics academy, alongside American youth and youth from dozens of other countries. Space Camp is a residential program with dormitories located within the campus. Students will also participate in a global science symposium with high-school students from 6 other countries and American university student researchers on the campus of the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Participants will be selected based on their interest in science and aerospace fields, critical thinking, English language ability, and maturity. To contact the University of Alabama in Huntsville with questions related to FLARE, please email:
passport@uah.edu
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- A citizen of the Russian Federation
- Be currently enrolled in the 10th grade and in good academic standing
- Able to travel for 2 weeks between July 27- August 7
- Able to provide parents’ consent document that permits international travel.
The deadline for submitting applications is December 30, 2019, 23:59 Moscow time.
Please follow this link to apply:
https://forms.gle/TjiFCWJ6KWGKyGcu6
Timeline:
- December 30, 2020: Application Deadline
- January 2020: Notification of the Semi-Finalists
- February 2020: Interviews with the Semi-Finalists
- February-March 2020: Notification of the Finalists
- July 27-August 7, 2020: Participants Travel to the United States
Clockwise from bottom center are, Commander Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency), Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Skripochka and NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan. Photo: NASA
