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Students will experience astronaut training at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Activities include mission simulations, training on NASA-based equipment, rocket building, and leadership exercises. Students will stay in an International Space Station replica and participate in a graduation ceremony recognizing their achievements.
Day 1
Day 1
We have lift off! We arrived Sunday afternoon and wasted no time jumping into our activities at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Since we've started, we've learned about missions, space vehicles, rockets, simulators, space farming, and more...and it's only Monday! Two highlights from today were fun activities on the low ropes course and getting the opportunity to try the Multi-Axis Trainer (aka MAT), which is a device used to simulate the disorienting effects of space-flight, particularly a "tumble spin." It rotated us in multiple directions, which (woah!!) totally challenged our sense of balance and spatial awareness. Every single one of us tried it, even though many of us were very nervous!
In addition to learning about all things "space," we are having a blast being away from our regular routine, spending time with each other, and developing space camp inside jokes! Brooks enjoyed wearing his new Space Camp fanny pack today, and brought an entire professional poker chip set to pass the time in the evening with his bunk mates, which Zach thought was almost as fun as his rubik's cubes. Julian used so much energy this morning that he ate 2 tacos, 2 bowls of rice, and 8 pieces of pizza for lunch. Che washed his lunch down with a salt packet, just for fun. As of lunch time, Ronan was on his 6th chocolate milk of the day (9 since we got here yesterday) and we are planning to keep a tally. Saphy has had 9 refills of Dr. Pepper from the cafeteria soda machine, and Aria is pretty sure she is addicted to Coca-Cola, which was made evident by how much they were talking at lunch today (like, alot!). If you can't tell, we are all super excited about the cafeteria soda machine...but don't worry, we are being so active and burning it all off throughout the day! Oliver was extremely composed (cool as a cucumber!) during the MAT chair experience, even with not getting any sleep last night (first night bunk room fun). The MAT chair threw Chase for a loop because she forgot to breathe during the experience, and Jett felt like his eyes were burning and were going to pop out of his head! Natanya had to step up and try the MAT chair first because she is the shortest out of all of us, and was a champ about it - so brave! Zoey spun the fastest out of everyone! We aren't completely sure why but our instructor said it was something about perfect proportions and weight distribution. Arete has gotten a kick out of reading out loud all of the subtitles on the TVs scattered around the building that show videos about space, and the girls are hopeful that Greta doesn't crawl onto their beds again tonight and tell them, "I'm going to tickle your toes!" Needless to say, we have had A TON of laughs!
Here is a link to our MAT videos and MAT photos!
Day 2-3
Day 2-3
We are thrilled to share that your students have been having an out-of-this-world experience at Space Camp over the past two days! They've been fully immersed in exciting learning opportunities and hands-on activities that have sparked curiosity and teamwork.
Students attended engaging presentations about astronomy, space travel to the Moon and Mars, constellations, black holes, space weather, and the International Space Station (ISS). They also visited the planetarium to expand their understanding of our galaxy. In addition, they put their investigative skills to the test, exploring materials for space suit construction to ensure they could withstand space conditions like pressure, oxygen needs, radiation, and extreme temperatures. Students have also been hard at work on their mission patch, thoughtfully designing creative emblems for their teams. The G-force accelerator was also a major highlight, where students experienced the intense thrill of three times Earth's gravity — and they loved it! Mealtimes have also been full of laughter and energy, adding to the camp's positive spirit.
Students participated in their Mission Enterprise, where each student played a vital role in completing various tasks. Jett and Brooks, acting as flight engineers, worked on building a tower — a task inspired by an actual mission carried out by astronauts in 1985. Meanwhile, Arete, Greta, Natanya, Julian, Saphy, and Zoey showcased their teamwork in keeping the space mission running smoothly from Mission Control while under the guidance of the Flight Director, Zach. Chase and Aria piloted the spacecraft, ensuring smooth navigation and landing. Che took on multiple roles of the ISS commander and flight controller to ensure the ISS ran smoothly. Oliver conducted science experiments as the Mission Specialist 2 and 3. Ronan served as Mission Specialist 1, skillfully managing the ISS group crew member exchange and assisting with manning the doors and lights. As you can see, it did take a village to make this mission a success!
Another exciting challenge had students working as a team in a water tank, where they had to build a structure while facing a simulated communication malfunction to mimic issues astronauts may experience with their communication devices while out on a mission.
The rocket-building activity was another standout experience. Each team launched their rockets with great excitement. While all teams achieved liftoff, Jett, Chase, Che, and Zach faced a hiccup when their rocket's parachute burned due to excess hot glue in the straw, creating too much friction. Meanwhile, Team Brooks, Julian, and Oliver celebrated success with the rocket that traveled the furthest!
Thursday's rocket launch will give all teams a fresh chance to improve their designs after making repairs and adjustments to their prototypes. Additionally, on Wednesday they began training for an exciting lunar mission, which they will execute on Thursday. We're excited to see their determination and teamwork in action once again.
Thank you for your continued support. We can't wait to see what else these young astronauts accomplish in the days ahead!
Days 4-5
Days 4-5
They have kept us busy here at Space Camp! We had another exciting mission (this time on the moon!), participated in a team challenge in the water where we had to build a structure together with certain parameters and obstacles, and also got to experience the 1/6th Gravity Chair, which demonstrates how it feels to walk on the moon! The chair simulates the moon's gravity, which is 1/6th of that on Earth. We have graduation soon, and then will be heading home!
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