America seen through a television screen is very different than the America experienced in person, and we were lucky to be a part of the International student exchange programme, organised by our school. This provided us with a lifetime opportunity to visit the United States.

Each day of the trip was extraordinary but the most mesmerising one was when we were taken to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) for a full-day tour. The mere sight of the massive establishment kept all of us spellbound. We were privileged to see the past, present, and even future projects. We learnt many things that we didn't know or may have never known had we not attended this programme.

A Nasa astronaut told us how hard work and passion had given him the success. The astronaut presented a personalised documentation of his experience and shared stories of his space mission with us. , who is one of the few to have ventured out in the spaceThey are memories that will never fade.This experience will remain very close to my heart.

The trip also included a visit to Disneyland, which was also enchanting. But, a visit to the Kennedy Space Centre was beyond comparison.

(The writers are students of the SAI International School, Bhubaneswar, who had recently visited Nasa)