An Adventure with Tintin

On 27th of November 2019, six of us from class IX–

A at HFS International attended a "Moonwalker" seminar
organised by Edelweiss, Moulinsart, The Indian Space
Research Organisation, The Belgian-Indian embassy
and Lufthansa over at the Nehru Planetarium, Worli
along with schools such as the A.S.B., Saint Mary’s and
Nahar International. A word in the information sheet
stood out: Tintin. For those unaware, Hergé’s “The
Adventures of Tintin” was an old comic hit turned
marvellous cartoon show. With an incredible spinoff with
heavenly three-dimensional animation, it follows a series
of tales from a young detective from Belgium with red,
combed hair and his Mongrel; his assistant – an
alcoholic sailor with a short temper; the dynamic
detective duo Thompson and Thomson and the squeaky
Professor Calculus.
The seminar was on a particular Tintin adventure:
“Destination Moon.” This story as well as it’s follow-up
“The Moon Exploration” were 2 revolutionary reads of
the already hit franchise. This story features young
Tintin headed off to space, as he becomes the first man
on The Moon; thwarting a Russian sabotage in the
process. Launched around 19 years before Apollo 11’s
Moon landing carrying Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins;
this story of realistic fantasy was an eye-opener for the
20th century.
The expo featured a 5-episode documentary on
Tintin’s influence on how the world viewed space. We
were shown Hergé’s work with his colleagues and fun
facts such as the fact that Professor Calculus was based
on a real scientist and that the landing site portrayed by
Hergé was actually very close to the Apollo 12 and
Apollo 14 landing sites. Individuals adept in the field of
science and Hergé’s close friends spoke on the
inspiration, documentation and guidance that Hergé
imbibed and the renowned scientists that chipped in to
make the Moon Mission possible. It even showed us the
interior of the lander as it approached the Moon.
This came with a presentation by a humorously
relatable senior from the European Space Centre at
Brussels elaborating on the Belgian space program as
well as various activities and camps over at the centre.
We also learnt a lot about the top contractors of space
research in Belgium and got to meet someone from the
Belgium Consulate! We took part in a quiz, learning
interesting trivia on Hergé’s creation as well as
celebrated scientific feats.

“The orange hair, the red rocket, and the

adventurous spirit; Tintin Moonwalker took me to the
moon and back.”
~Ranveer Jain

“For someone who hadn’t read many Tintin comics,

the event was surprisingly far too mesmerising. I was in
awe when I found out that it was the Tintin series that
had influenced the first space launch!
It was a delightful experience shared between
Soumya ma’am and six friends, and I’m grateful towards
our school for giving us this enlightening educational
experience.”
~Atharva Gupta
 “It was a great experience being there and being
able to answer questions put up by them and took with
us long-lasting memories and a couple of snack boxes!”
~Shaikh Raiyan

“As someone who has read a lot of Tintin, I was

intrigued to say the least, when I was told that the comic
of Tintin going to space was written around 19 years
before the monumental Apollo 11 spacecraft.
I thank principal ma’am and Sowmya ma’am for
giving us this wonderful opportunity to learn outside the
classroom.”
~Aakaash Devendra Limaye

“A few days ago, I was pulled in from my school

heats to hear an exciting brief that some of my
classmates and I would attend a seminar on Space
Exploration. Even with the limited information, I was
looking forward to a morning talking science and space
fantasy. I cherish the memory of a collection of DVDs of
the complete series of ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ my
father bought me as a child.
It was a memorable experience that informed,
entertained and enlightened us throughout the
afternoon. I enjoyed the trip, the car ride as I chatted
with my friends, the show itself and the quiz round
afterwards. My adventure with Tintin was a majestic
experience.”
~Shaurya Sriram

Author: Shaurya Sriram, Grade X

eMail: shauryasriram@gmail.com
Hiranandani Foundation School International, Powai