Day 2: July 29, 2008

This day was the busiest day so far! The campers woke up, ate breakfast, and headed straight off to their first Robotics class. At the end of the week they will have a competition with what they make. After that, we met up with the students to ride on the Mars simulation, where we got to ride on a Martian roller coaster! After that we watched a movie on the IMAX screen about missions to repair satellites and what life is like in space.

After the movie, the campers went to lunch and on to another Robotics class. Then they got to go on the climbing wall, and some even reached the top! In the afternoon, the campers got to go through their Intrepid Mission. It was fun to watch as the team worked together to launch the shuttle, complete a repair and land the shuttle safely back home. Pam and I were able to record the mission as well, which was a fun experience for us.

After the mission we had dinner with the campers, and they went off to an information session and later to 5 Degrees of Freedom. After a long day, it was lights out, time to rest up for another big day tomorrow!

Day 1: July 28, 2008

Day 1 started off the week on a fun note. To begin with, the students started their Robotic Orientation and had an Engineering Workshop. After lunch, they got to see a movie on the IMAX screen, but what we were really excited for was the G Force Accelerator. On this ride, they got to experience three times the force of gravity as they spun in the G Force Accelerator. Most of the students went on the ride 2 or even 3 times!

After that, they went straight on to train for their upcoming Intrepid Mission. Meredith was appointed Commander of the mission, and although she was a little nervous, I'm sure she'll do a great job! The counselors explained each student's role in the mission. They get to sit in Mission Control or even on a replica of a real shuttle during the mission! After the training, they went through their scripts.

After dinner, the campers tried out the Multi-Axis Trainer. This chair allows them to spin in all different directions, and they had a lot of fun. After that they constructed rockets and then went off to bed to rest for another exciting day!

Take Off! July 27, 2008

On Sunday morning everyone made it to the airport all right, and we were happy to find out United Airlines had arranged a special area for us to check in and gather as a group. After our campers said goodbye to their parents, Michael Jackson from United took us through the entire process of checking in and going through security, so everything went very smoothly. The campers were so excited to get on their way!

We arrived on time to Washington Dulles airport and took a shuttle to meet our connecting flight on the other end of the airport. Unfortunately, due to mechanical problems and the weather, the flight was delayed for more than 2 hours. The campers were great though, and they handled the delay with patience, playing with their VTech games, talking, or sleeping in the airport.

We arrived to Alabama slightly behind schedule, but we had enough time to check-in to Space Camp and tour the facility. The campers went off to their habitats for the night, very tired but excited to start their week. There are some great things in store for them yet!

Getting Ready for SPACE CAMP

On Sunday, July 27th our Time Out students along with Pam West, Mrs. Jordan, and myself will be traveling to Huntsville, Alabama for Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Students from Smith Elementary in Aurora and William Brown, and Victor Herbert Elementary Schools in Chicago entered research essays, and 12 students were selected to attend Space Camp this year.

I am so excited to meet all of the students and see what Space Camp is all about!

We have all our gifts ready to go for our campers, and we are just about packed up!

For more information about what kinds of things we will be doing visit:

http://spacecamp.com/

I'll be keeping you updated throughout our journey, so stay tuned for more!

See ya Sunday!

Lisa