As a physics student, I am used to solving problems involving rockets and orbits but I had never seen a launch in the flesh, so I was really excited.
Andy Cuthbert, 19, from Barton, has just finished his first year studying physics at Worcester College, Oxford University...When the Tannoy started bringing launch updates of "Ten minutes to launch", "Five minutes to launch" etc. the tension and excitement built and everyone turned their attention to the launch pad. With us on the 'observation deck' – a slab of concrete in the desert miles and miles from anywhere except the rocket itself – were members of the international press, rocket engineers, trip organisers, and the other students.
In addition to the three UK students, there were seven from Malaysia and two apiece from India, Indonesia and the Philippines. As we got to know the other students better and learnt more about their academic achievements we found ourselves asking why we'd been selected for the trip. Thankfully though, there were somewhat tenuous links between each of us and the event organisers, and we were now in this privileged position, 3,000 miles from home, about to witness the launch of an incredible piece of engineering into orbit.
Finally, the call we'd all been waiting for came: "One minute to launch". Against the black of the sky, the Milky Way shone brightly, the only illumination save the glow of camcorder LCD screens all focussed on the same thing: a small sliver of white in the distance tipped with the Malaysian flag. Lurking just out of shot was a camel (pictured). I had a horrible premonition that it would step in the way of the launch pad, ruining everyone's photos and videos. I must be psychic because at the very moment of ignition, in walks the camel, right on cue, stealing the focus of the cameras. Never mind.
I may have missed the very start but seeing the rocket lift off so gracefully, eventually becoming a star-like spot flying out into the abyss, was a spectacle enough for me. Two minutes after the launch, we saw the first stage separate – a second bright spot appeared, followed by some beautiful cloud swirls as it fell back to earth. It was all over in a flash. From lift-off to the rocket disappearing over the horizon lasted just a few minutes but it was definitely the best part of the trip for me.
That was my first rocket launch but hopefully it will not be my last.
We are now back home, and the camel is probably enjoying a superstar lifestyle, but the engineers will still be hard at work, getting the satellite into position and ready to meet the needs of millions of Malaysians for years to come as it circles the globe, transmitting data back and forth on demand.
View a slideshow of the trip hereOverall, the trip was a great experience. I met a lot of interesting people, saw plenty of wonderful sights and witnessed a spectacular launch that really changed the way I think about space.
Peter Adams, 19, a first year journalism student at the University of Central Lancashire, who lives
in Dolphinholme near Lancaster...It's about quarter to four in the morning, and I'm stood in the middle of the desert in Kazakhstan. I'm about to watch the launch of the Measat 3a satellite. This is the climax of the most surreal yet brilliant weekend of my life.
I was there on a five-day trip for a 'once in a lifetime opportunity', with two other UK students and 11 international students. By the end of the trip, I'd been on six flights, spending over 14 hours in the sky, and skipped between three different time zones.
The first big item on the agenda was a tour of Star City, Moscow, where cosmonauts are trained and prepared for venturing into space. As we drove in our seatbelt-less coach along an eerily quiet road through part of a forest, my mind couldn't help but remember the scenes from films where people dig a hole, kneel before it, and the last sound they hear is a Kalashnikov rifle being loaded. Thankfully, this didn't happen.
After having talks from various guides telling us all we'd ever need to know about space, we had lunch in the astronauts' canteen. As I sat down, I noticed on the table there was some red caviar in a folded pancake. I naively opened my mouth wide and took a big bite of this delicacy.
A wave of concentrated seawater gushed through my mouth. I sat there, shocked, just one gut contraction away from placing the contents of my stomach on the plate. Five minutes later, after some hefty water-gulping, I finished my mouthful.
Fast forward 24 hours and we were in the Kazakh desert. Amid journeys to other places, we visited Measat 3a's Launch Pad, Site 45. As we stood gazing in awe at the rocket, it was hard to believe that in only a few hours the vulnerable-looking white metal tube would be hurtling through space on a mission to place the satellite in geosynchronous orbit.
That evening I was gifted with one hour's sleep at the Sputnik hotel, and then we were back off to the launch pad.
By this stage, my body clock had been abused so heavily that it gave up on me, leaving me to fend for myself. Sleep was now just a daily bonus.At 3am local time, we arrived at the observation deck. Forty minutes later, all eyes were locked on the launch pad. Suddenly, a small flash of light flickered below the rocket. We had a full and spectacular view of the expanding cloud of glowing smoke, with the rocket slowly lifting itself above the ground.
The noise reached us about twenty seconds later: a constant roar like a distant fighter jet; a sharp bark and rasp like a helicopter flying low overhead; and like thunder it was ground-shaking, but not deafening. Only three sounds filled the desert air: the rocket, the person on the loudspeaker saying what was happening, and a car alarm.
Five minutes later the rocket separated into two parts, with the top continuing further into the sky. An expanse of blue light spiralled outwards; it was like the rocket had opened a portal into heaven. This was the best firework display ever!
The following evening, after visiting the Kremlin and Red Square, we were at the Hilton hotel in Moscow for a celebration dinner.
There was live Russian music and dancing, including audience participation. As the musicians played themselves out, I decided to start that most British of dances which all Brits do abroad. The conga, of course.
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