Travel to/From Houston

School groups are required to provide their own transportation to and from the Competition venue at the NASA Johnson Space Center.

School groups that arrive via school district vehicles or private vehicles must have a chaperone or parent to drive the students to and from the Competition. This is required because the intensity and scope of the Competition are such that the students are physically exhausted by the Sunday evening Competition adjournment (may have been without sleep for much of the weekend) and are unable to drive responsibly.

Texas students attending the SSDC must be transported to and from the competition by an adult. The reason for this requirement is the intensity of the SSDC experience and the limited sleep that most students will be able to get over the busy weekend. The competition organizers want to assure that fatigued and sleepy students are not attempting to drive themselves home, even after the conclusion of the competition.

Bus Schedule for Iowan's (Rough Draft)

Thursday, March 17

11:45 AM Buses load at WITCC

12:15 PM Meeting of Iowa participants in Auditorium at WITCC

1:00 PM Bus wheels turn

2:00 PM Pick up teams at Missouri Valley truck stop on I-29 (Shell Station)

6:00 PM Stop for Supper (Location TBD).

Friday, March 18

Morning- Breakfast (Time and Location TBD).

10:00 AM Arrive at Space Center Houston

Noon -- Lunch on own at Space Center Houston

2:30 PM -- Depart from Space Center Houston

3:00 PM -- Walmart run for supplies

4:00 PM--Arrive at Hilton Clearwater Hotel. Room check-in

5:00 PM -- Competition Check-in

6:00 PM -- Dinner served at hotel

7:00 PM Competition program begins. See schedule at https://sites.google.com/site/ssdcoctober2012/schedule-of-events

Saturday, March 19

Competition events all day

Sunday, March 20

1:00 PM Buses in place for JSC Tour

4:30 PM Buses in place for loading

5:00 PM Dinner TBD

7:00 PM Depart Houston

Monday, March 21

10:00 AM Arrive York (time is a best guess)

3:00 PM Arrive Sioux City (another best guess)

A Couple of Suggestions

• The buses will be nearly full so pack as efficiently as possible.

• No coolers on the bus.

• We will have some plug-ins available for mobile phone charging.

• A blanket and pillow will help you to be a lot more comfortable.

• The bus temperature may be either hot or cold or both. Dress in layers.

  • Be a traveler, not a tourist.

Bus Assignments

All students and adults will be assigned to a bus

REQUIRED FORMS

Every student must have a Permission Form on file in order to participate once in Houston. The form can be found below.