Astronauts to take Armenian children’s dreams to International Space Station, literally

Armenian pediatric cancer patients will join the Spacesuit Art Project this year.

Beneficiary children of the City of Smile Charity Foundation will paint their dreams on special canvases which will turn into a space suit and astronauts will take it to the ISS.

City of Smile Executive Director Esther Demirchyan told ARMENPRESS that the Spacesuit Art Project was launched in 2016 worldwide.

“Each time the space suit has an individual name. This time it will be Dreamer. It is very meaningful and touching. We always say, if you send your thoughts to space it will definitely come true: what we are sending to space with our minds and words definitely comes true. And I think this campaign will give strength to the children, they will believe that their dream will come true by staying in space in the form of a space suit,” she said.

Pediatric cancer patients from Russia, Switzerland, France, Germany, England and Belgium have already painted their dreams for the project, and Armenia will be the 7th country to join Dreamer will lift-off on its mission in 2020.

One of the previous suits to have been taken to space, Victory, will be brought to Armenia as part of the project. Astronauts will personally come to see the Armenian little heroes.

Victory was sent to space in 2017 jointly by Russian and American teams.

“This spacesuit is now exhibited in many expos. It is taken from one hospital to another in various countries to inspire children and families,” said Unity Movement (Russia) co-founder Alyona Kuzmenko. The Unity movement is organizing the Spacesuit Art Project in Russia with Roscosmos.

Alyona said she learnt about the City of Smiles foundation upon coming to Armenia and decided to collaborate with the organization.