Hey Guys,
I know it has been a while since I've blogged, but I just went to the BEST camp I have ever gone to. I went to US Space & Rocket Center for a week at the Advance Space Academy. We had simulated missions (4 1-hour missions and 1 6-hour one), we met 2 famous rocket scientists (George von Tiesenhausen & Konrad Dennimberg), and 1 astronaut, Story Musgrave. We saw the Saturn V Rocket, IMAX movies, and made new friends along the way.
My favorite part, though, was when I went on my first 2 SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) dives. Yeah, 2 dives! One for training, one for fun during our EDM (Extended Duration Mission, the 6-hour one). All I did was play around for 45 minutes with Toypedos, bowling balls, and a 100 pound sphere!
Our missions were amazing, too. During our 4 1-hour missions, we were trained in 4 different positions: 1 on the orbiter, 1 in the ISS simulator, and 2 in Mission Control. On the orbiter, I was able to use a fake Canada Arm (a huge robotic arm used to fix satellites). On ISS, I got to perform a really cool experiment. Mission Control, on the other hand was a SNORE. All I did was sit around and read a script.
The EDM, on the other hand, was hilarious. In a group of 16 kids, we had a body count of 19 deaths. NINETEEN!! People died twice on the orbiter, and 4 people were killed in Mission Control by a guy who was given a medical condition called Psychosis (a person with this condition goes on a psychotic rampage). He took a syringe (the thing with the needle that is used to give shots), and injected 15 cubic centimeters of air into the bloodstreams of 3 people (I was one of them). Someone else did the same to silence the psycho dude. Our counselor in Mission Control was laughing his heart out.
Overall, that week had to be the best week of MY LIFE!!!! I made lifelong friends and have lifelong memories to share with friends and family. If you have the time (and the money), look into all of their summer programs at http://www.spacecamp.com/.
