Space Camp Day 5 - Graduation Day

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It is hard to believe that this week is coming to an end. At the same time, it feels like I've been here for 3 weeks because of all the information and experiences that I had in this short time. I'm ready to go home & see my sister, grandparents, kitties & friends, but I'm really sad to be finishing Space Camp (and already trying to figure out a way to come back next year.) Before breakfast we took the hot air balloons we all made the other day & launch time in front of the patfinder shuttle... it was awesome. To think that we could create such beautiful & effective flying machines out of tissue paper and glue sticks was unreal. It was really exciting to see our balloons fly and neat to see them go up right next to a shuttle! After breakfast we took a class on thermo-insulation. When looking at flight suits and the shuttle itself, NASA engineers must create things that can really stand up to heat. So, we were split into small groups and given the same supplies and challenged to create the best thermo insulator. Each of us had a wooden dowel with a bolt hot glued to the end. we needed to protect the bolt from the direct flame of a blow torch. When the heat traveled up the bolt to the glue, the glue would melt and the bolt would fall off. We needed to stop that from happening for as long as possible. Well, our group's wasn't the best to start. But after we each had our turn, we got to go back and redesign based on what we saw happen. When we redesigned we had the 2nd best time in the group. It was an awesome experiment & something that I hope our science teachers will be able to us. I didn't know much about insulation and now I feel like I know A LOT more.

After class we headed over to the IMAX dome theater to watch the movie HUBBLE, about the missions that placed and serviced the HUBBLE space telescope. It also shows lots of images that HUBBLE has taken of our universe. It is such an amazing movie. WOW!! To think we can to far outreaching parts, well past our own galaxy and the hundreds of thousands of other galaxies out there. It was just humbling and awe inspiring all at once. I want to watch it again.

In the afternoon we had another course, taught by Leigh (one of our group leaders) that talked about resources out there for teaching students about Mars. She is so knowledgeable and just a great teacher. After the Mars course, we prepared for graduation. All of the different teacher groups met in the auditorium in our flight suits & our different group leaders called us up one by one to graduate. They had kind (and entertaining) words to say & then when we each were called up we were given NASA wings. They had a graduation packed for us with all of our resources from the week, a group photo of our team and a beautiful NASA Space Camp picture frame for it. We were officially finished with Space Camp. WOW!

A big group of us went out to dinner for Mexican (yes, Mexican food in Alabama) and enjoyed each others company for one last time. We talked about ideas for how we could get together again next summer for advanced Space Camp and get to do some of the more advanced missions that the Advanced Camp kiddos do. (BTW, there are kids here as young as 7-8 & there are high schoolers that have been coming year after year since they were little ones - these youngsters are so knowledgeable and experienced in astronaut training. I can't help but be hugely jealous of them & inspired by them. These kids will surely be the future astronauts, engineers and leaders in science and technology. Thank you, Space Camp!)

This experiences has been amazing & something I will take back to my school & keep in my mind & heart for as long as I live. There is no doubt that I will being brainstorming ideas on how to get my students funded to experience what I have experienced. A big thank you goes out to the program, our group leaders & all of the other teachers in Columbus group for making this an experiences of a lifetime.

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