Raise you hand if you have ever secretly, or not so secretly, longed to do this:
Oh come now...don't be shy...Sarah? Taylor? Todd? Get those hands up. Well, do I have an adventure for you.
Right here, in our itty, bitty part of the state, we have a space camp mission to rival The Enterprise. JC was invited to a friend's birthday party last winter at this space center and he is HOOKED! OBSESSED! DRIVING ME CRAZY WITH NON STOP TALK ABOUT SPACE MISSIONS! And I let him go...if for no other reason than to buy myself a few hours of peace and quiet from the constant space chatter. But I digress.
Welcome to the
Christa McAuliffe Space Center. It is a place of true adventure and wonder. While I am not anywhere near a "trekkie", I have to admit that I am saving my money for a mission of my own. It is a child's dream!
JC attended an overnight space camp with 3 of his best friends this week. Here is how it went down...they all packed themselves a sleeping bag, pillow, toothbrush and some clean underwear and showed up at the space center where they were ushered into a large gym and given their instructions and assignments for the night. There are several ships they can be assigned to and then each person chooses which job they want to do aboard the ship. JC was assigned to the Voyager and received the assignment as Right Wing Officer. They board their ships using a real transporter and find their stations. The ships are AMAZING!
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| HB entering the transporter to the Voyager. |
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| The boys coming OUT of the transporter aboard the ship. |
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| JC and his friend's stations aboard the Voyager. Each person has a laptop where they perform their "duties" and respond to the situations they are given...that affect the entire crew and ship. |
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| Another look at one of the consoles on the ship. |
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| Looking forward at the big screen in front that shows the overall picture and what is happening where. |
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| The boys chilling in the captain's chair in the middle of the ship. |
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| My darling friend up in the captain's lounge. |
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| MC making the climb up into the captain's lounge. |
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| HB and MC chilling on the captain's couch. This is the job I would want...not because I want to be responsible for an entire crew's lives and livelihood but because I want the lounge, couch, and comfy bed. |
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| Live long and prosper my little trekkies. |
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| This is a look into another ship at the space center called the Magellan. |
Each ship is assigned a space mission. Outside each ship is a "control" room where every job is being monitored and "responded" to. So the whole thing is happening in live time and every decision the kids make on board is immediately played out. It is an incredible learning experience. Not only are they being asked to apply what they know about science, astronomy, and space, but more importantly, they are learning how to work as a team, how their actions can affect those around them, how the decisions they make can have positive or negative consequences, problem solving, learning how to make and implement decisions, learning how to trust their instincts and each other, leadership skill...I could go on and on (maybe I already have). Not only is the space center a technological marvel, but the experience is truly life changing.
So, next time you're in town, come on over. We'll take a little trip to the moon.
