By Kusumanjalee Thilakarathna Senul Handapangoda, a space enthusiast with an ambition of becoming a space engineer and an astronomer, is an eight-year-old student of St. Peter’s College, Colombo 4. Among his many interests and hobbies, he takes pleasure in creating content for his YouTube channel ‘Senul on Space’. Speaking to Little Stars, Senul said: “I created this channel to share my videos about astronomy, with the aim of sharing my knowledge with others.”   Senul, can you introduce yourself to our readers?   I see myself as a talented boy who is highly curious and self-motivated about the universe, who loves to explore new things through various experiments. I am interested in various fields of science such as astronomy, chemistry, botany, physics, geography, etc. and I believe that I have my unique way of thinking. I am also interested in programming, reading, music, and delivering speeches. I have received many awards and certificates from Lamda, Wendy Whatmore, and IWMS for elocution and music. I have a YouTube Channel and I do video editing as well. I have been blessed with beautiful handwriting for Sinhala, English, and Tamil as well.    Can you remember how you got interested in learning about space?   Yes, my parents say that when I was very small, I used to keep on watching the sky at night. As I grew, I remember very well that I observed the sky with a lot of enthusiasm. In the meantime, I found a book about the sun and our solar system from my nandi and I started reading that book and looked at the pictures very carefully even though I could not read it properly. So I found my passion for learning about space even before the age of four. I started to learn more by reading many books. I can remember that I explained the solar system and its objects to my little friends at the Montessori. Even though they could not understand, I kept on explaining.    Who helps you to study space?   My loving parents are the ones who helped me at first as soon as they recognised my passion for learning about space. They buy me related books wherever they see them and encourage me to read them. With these resources, I do self-study to learn more. Whenever I get free time I read those books and refer to the NASA website for more information.   Can you recommend some books for those who are interested in learning about space?    Yes, I would love to do so. You can read Wild about Space, Encyclopaedia of Space, An Astronomer’s Guide, Chasing Space, The Garden of Rama by Arthur C. Clarke, and Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time – all are very useful and informative books.   What's your favourite Roald Dahl book?     My favourite book is Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. Charlie and his family are going to space with Mr. Wonka in a very special elevator which is made entirely of glass. Roald Dahl is my favourite author because of his unique writing pattern. Roald Dahl’s writing style involves a great deal of humour to engage his readers so I tend to read the whole book without even realising it. He motivates readers to read his books with a lot of enthusiasm while having great fun. I adore the self-created fantastic language he uses in his books. The creativity he has used in his stories inspired me to think out of the box. If you start reading one of his books, you will buy his other books for sure.   How did you learn to play the piano?    When I was very small, I used to play the organ with my thaththi and nandi. When I was five, I started training under my loving teacher Ranthilini Fernando. I have become a prize winner of the IWMS Music Theory Examination in 2021.   What are your other hobbies and interests?   I am very interested in programming as well. I self-studied about the Scratch programming language and created a Mars helicopter video game for some online competitions conducted by NASA. Also, I have created some other programs and 3D video games as well. I love to watch birds and other creatures in the home garden and feed them. My parents have made a stand with a wooden plank near an old but beautiful tree in the garden. I give those animals and birds food and water every day. It gives me great pleasure to watch them eating and listen to their happy chirping. As a nature lover, I love to walk around my garden and observe the beauty of the environment.   It seems like you are interested in electronics too. Can you tell us more about that?    Yes. In the middle of last year, I got a chance to participate in an online series of robotics sessions for Scouts. From the very first day, I loved to learn about circuits, motors, and bulbs. I learned about the Microbit, which is a programmable chip. I made different programs using the Microbit website.   What are the special things you learn as a Cub Scout?   Cub Scouts is a very interesting and enjoyable activity. I learned many valuable things being a Cub Scout, such as being responsible, doing day-to-day work independently, taking advantage of the things that we waste, and improving our self-confidence.   How do you manage your time between studies and other work?   Of course, I have realised the value of managing my time as being very important since I have many things to do within a day. My mother has made a little timetable that helps me to manage my time effectively. I do not allow myself to waste time, instead I occupy my valuable time to do something I like.    What can you tell us about your experience with NASA?   I believe that they are very kind people who are always willing to support kids like me around the world. I wrote to them two years back about my talents and interests and why I like astronomy. Since then NASA sends me weekly updates and newsletters. I go through these emails and gather new information to update my knowledge. In this way, I hope that I can build a good rapport with them in the future.   What is your ambition?    I would like to become a space engineer and an astronomer and take the great name of my motherland Sri Lanka to the world with a great invention. I would also like to become a world-famous pianist, musician, and composer. I would also like to be a famous author like Roald Dahl and a space fiction writer like Arthur C. Clarke. In short, I want to become a valuable person to the entire world who has done something remarkable for the world.   Finally, tell us who supports you?   My loving mother and father are the great pillars of my life and they are the ones who support me in everything I do. They both have done many sacrifices for my betterment. My loving nandi and my loving Shanika aunty are very important individuals I met in my life because they always encourage me, appreciate me and support me in everything. Rushdi uncle, Supem uncle, Rosh aunty, and my loving school teachers are always there to give their support and advice for me to improve my knowledge and skills.