MassMutual Jr. Space Camp 2011
Eight Junior Astronauts Get Ready for
a 9-day Space Exploration
Jul 11, 2011 Hong Kong
The 13th MassMutual Jr. Space Camp organized by MassMutual Asia Ltd. has now entered the final stage of the competition. A presentation ceremony is being held today to announce the eight MassMutual Jr. Astronauts for 2011. After three rigorous rounds of selection tests, the eight outstanding finalists were chosen from some 2,000 applicants. They will soon embark on a nine-day space exploration journey in late July to further broaden their space knowledge and to meet the challenges of junior astronaut training.
At the presentation ceremony, Mr. Tay Keng Puang, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of MassMutual Asia, presented the "MassMutual Jr. Astronaut Medal" to the eight 2011 MassMutual Jr. Astronauts: Marcus Ng, Chloe Yeung, Jessamyn Chiu, Michael Lau, Travis Lui, Adrian Ngai, Chie Tong and Gabrielle Tam. Blasting off on July 27, 2011, the Jr. Astronauts, each accompanied by one parent, will set off for an exciting and unforgettable space exploration journey at the US Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, and at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Ms. Jeanne Sau, Chief Marketing Officer and Program Commander, said, “Imbued with the spirit of ‘It is Possible!’, MassMutual Asia pioneered the MassMutual Jr. Space Camp Program in 1999, the first-ever program in Hong Kong and Macau providing junior astronaut training to children who demonstrate the same spirit. As the theme of this year’s program – “Dare to Make Your Space Dreams Come True. It is Possible!” – says, if our children dare to dream a brighter future, and strive to demonstrate their perseverance, inquisitiveness, and self-confidence, it is possible that their space dreams will come true one day!”
This year, applicants had to produce a creative work based on the program theme, in any format demonstrating the breadth of their imagination and the depth of their creativity, which could be drawings, models, story-writing, and song-composing. The 50 short-listed candidates then participated in the two-day-one-night “All-round Jr. Astronaut Training Camp”, including a tailor-made interactive workshop conducted by the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education that aimed to enhance children’s creativity and communication skills. They also participated in a space exploration program conducted by professionals from the Hong Kong Space Museum, and an experiential Outward Bound training course. In the second-round selection test, the 50 short-listed candidates underwent tests of their physical abilities, space knowledge and communication skills. Finally, the top-18 finalists were interviewed by the program patrons and judges, and from them eight new MassMutual Jr. Astronauts were chosen.
Congratulating the eight Jr. Astronauts, Ms. Sau added, “In rising to a set of challenges, the new Jr. Astronauts stood out from a great many applicants, demonstrating perseverance, inquisitiveness, and confidence. With the spirit of ‘It is Possible!’, we are confident that the eight Jr. Astronauts will successfully complete their mission.”
Later this month, the eight outstanding MassMutual Jr. Astronauts will undergo a nine-day space exploration journey in the Space Camp in Huntsville and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including Mission Training – realistic space simulations in a full-scale orbiter; 1/6 Gravity Trainer – astronaut training with a virtual-reality moon walk; Multi-Axis Trainer – experiencing weightlessness and free movement in space; and the Manned Maneuvering Unit – which simulates the experience of maneuvering aboard the space shuttle. They will also have the chance to meet and dine with a real astronaut who has already completed several space missions. Through these training exercises, not only will the eight Jr. Astronauts extendtheir space knowledge, but also learn to co-operate, build self-confidence, and broaden their horizons. The program also allows parents to take part in these activities and training, with the aim of building a closer parent-child relationship. All expenses, including program tuition fees, round-trip air-tickets, accommodation and meals, as well as travel insurance, are fully covered by MassMutual Asia.
MassMutual Asia Ltd. is a member of the MassMutual Financial Group. Headquartered in Hong Kong, MassMutual Asia has over two thousand consultants. The company delivers professional one-stop risk- and wealth-management consulting services, including a series of flexible and innovative life insurance products, retirement plans and investment services. Besides the life insurance business, MassMutual Asia also operates several subsidiaries in Hong Kong, including MassMutual Asia Investors Ltd., which provides an array of wealth-management services, MassMutual Trustees Ltd., which focuses on MPF, and MassMutual Insurance Consultants Ltd., which handles general insurance.
MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing designation for the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliates. With US$448 billion1 in assets under management and 13 million customers, MassMutual Financial Group is a global, growth-oriented and diversified financial-services organization. Established in 1851, MassMutual enjoys exceptionally high financial ratings from major ratings agencies, including A.M. Best Company "A++" (Superior; top category of 15), Fitch Ratings "AA+" (Very Strong; top category of 21) and Standard & Poor's "AA+" rating (Very Strong; second category of 21)2 and is ranked in the renowned FORTUNE 500 as one of the “Five Largest US Life Insurance Companies”3.
Mr. Tay Keng Puang, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer (5th from right), Ms. Jeanne Sau, Chief Marketing Officer (5th from left) of MassMutual Asia and the Eight 2011 Jr. Astronauts : (From left) Marcus Ng, Jessamyn Chiu, Travis Lui, Chie Tong, (From right) Chloe Yeung, Michael Lau, Adrian Ngai and Gabrielle Tam.
Note:
1. Figures as of December 31, 2010.2. All financial ratings are assigned to Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company and its subsidiaries, C.M. Life Insurance Company and MML Bay State Life Insurance Company. Ratings as of July 1, 2011. Ratings are subject to change.3. Ranked according to the aggregate results of [Insurance: Life, Health (Mutual)] and [Insurance: Life, Health (Stock)] on the total revenues for 2010, based on the FORTUNE 500 as published on May 23, 2011.