Kennedy Space Center Trip

It took about three hours to get to the Kennedy Space Center. It was supposed to have taken two and a half hours, but there was traffic near the Space Center that delayed us for quite a bit. The four chaperones Mrs. Ellinor, Ms. Hughes, Mr. Beckwith, and Ms. Dutton kept everyone happy by playing videos. From the bus, there was a view of a rocket body. It was being hauled out of the road. There was also an astronaut that was on the side of the path. 

Once the bus passed through the traffic, the shining models in the Rocket Garden at Kennedy Space Center greeted visitors. They seemed to be waving in the sky, beckoning people to discover new adventures. 

Everyone was very fidgety and eager to get out of the bus. Seeing the magnificent rockets only sparked the excitement. 

After some time, all the sixth graders got through the security line, and they were split into three groups to explore the whole park, which had many cool attractions. 

One popular attraction was The Journey to Mars. On the Journey to Mars, a video played, displaying the profusion of people who worked hard on all of NASA’s space missions, especially the ones to Mars. After the video, the audience had a chance to explore the exhibition. A huge, lifelike, sized model of the Curiosity Rover greeted people in another room. On the way out, there were games where someone could simulate docking at a space station or landing a rocket. They looked simple, but according to some kids in our group, the game was “impossibly sussy” and “hard to maneuver.” Some controls did not even work. The simulators were disappointing, but the video was very intriguing.

The plan was to have lunch at the Orbit Cafe at noon, but people in each group became suddenly ravenous at different times. Some groups went to eat at as early as 11:20 while others went at exactly 12:00 sharp. Beforehand, the chaperones had handed out menus on the bus so that it would be easier to order the food. However, the menus on the website were highly inaccurate. There were shouts of “IT'S NOT HERE!”, “WHERE IS IT?” and “THE MENU LIES! I NEED AN ATTORNEY!” This was because some foods (including the chicken buffalo sandwich) were not included on the screen at the ordering station. After much complaining, changing choices, and redoing the math to fit the cost minimum, everyone managed to get something to eat. Despite the confusion in the beginning, there were many good reviews about the food. Many kids said the food was delicious! Little did we know that this meal would turn out to be the main course for the day.  After lunch, there was ice cream or DippinDots. Everyone enjoyed the sweet treat of the day before continuing to tour the Space center.

We then split into groups to continue exploring the park. Most of the groups went to the launch simulator. It was in a huge building with a colossal model of a space shuttle launch at the front of it. Once we entered, the doors opened into a space blue passageway with quotes of famous aviators on the walls. The ramp led up to a line where people were waiting to go into a room. Everyone was fidgety while waiting. Almost no one knew what awaited them behind the door, so they surged forward like a jet when the doors finally opened. The room was fairly small, with a huge monitor above. There wasn’t a place to sit down, so people had to stand to watch the video. The mini movie took everybody back in time chronologically since engineers at NASA first had the idea to reuse space shuttles. It was electrifying, and the eyes of everyone in the audience were riveted to the screen for the whole time. As soon as the video was done, another two doors opened into a simulator that imitated the return of Atlantis. Then the screen itself opened up! A gigantic shuttle greeted everyone. It was the actual Atlantis space shuttle that had been retired from its missions. Excited to see the true model, some kids started trying to touch the actual rocket. Once we made it to the exhibits, students enjoyed being in the captain’s seat of the shuttle. We experienced many simulations, including move through a cramped space shuttle, crawling through a transparent tube suspended over the first floor, and sliding down a long, 22 degree slide. Many people went on the slide repeatedly since it was so thrilling! 

Finally, there was the launch simulator. After going through a dark doorway, we went up a ramp and entered a room. There, a NASA scientist talked about what we were going to expect, so anyone could “bail if they wanted to.” Nevertheless, many stayed. The launch was rough, and passengers were shaken back and forth so hard that someone screamed and everyone clutched their armrests in terror! Many were nauseous by the end. Nevertheless, everyone claimed they loved it.

The gift shop was the last stop before leaving the space center. Many people bought souvenirs. Some items include an astronaut bear, a “dry ice cream sandwich” and an astronaut helmet. It was out of this world.

Even though we had a full day at Kennedy, the trip was far from over. Our next stop was Medieval Times, about an hour's bus ride from Kennedy. The building looked like an old gray castle from the medieval ages. It had banners of the different kingdoms and was surrounded by a moat, so we had to cross a drawbridge to enter. Inside, it was very dim, and the light had a soft yellowish glow. The teachers made a reservation ahead of time, so we were able to go in immediately. The dusky hallway morphed  to a room brightly lit. It was a room made to be like a medieval dining hall. Yellow lamps that were made to look like candles surrounded the perimeter of the room, and they gave off a beautiful glow. Soon, all the students went up a tall stairway. The room suddenly went pitch black, and it was difficult to figure out where to sit. Berkeley ended up in the “kingdom” supporting the Red Knight. The whole show was thrilling, displaying many knights jousting and much intense fighting. Whilst watching the festivities, we were served garlic bread, tomato soup, chicken, and corn with the dessert of ice cream. We ate Medieval style, which meant no utensils. Many people complained the chicken was raw and uncooked, and said that the corn was so salty it felt like it was dipped in a marine fish tank! The rest of the food was not as badly criticized, though.

Finally, the day had to come to an end. The ride was about an hour and half to travel back to Berkeley. The chaperones put up Aladdin as the movie on the way back, and most of the passengers fell asleep. When the bus arrived back at the Casper Landis Buc stop, everyone was happy and tired, as it had been a long and fun day. Future sixth graders will definitely enjoy the trip to Kennedy next year!