Space Academy

     Hi! It's Ben. A little over a week ago, I returned from Space Camp. Even though I did it last year, there was a lot different with man things being done this year that we weren't able to last time because of tighter COVID restrictions. We still had to social distance and wear masks but that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the week. We built rockets that went hundreds of feet in the air, we went on simulators designed to replicate moon gravity, the freedom of movement available to astronauts during spacewalks, and a device similar to the one NASA trained the first set of astronauts in case their capsule spun out of control, we did teambuilding challenges, went on mock missions to Mars and the ISS, learned a lot about the artifacts in the museum, and even talked to a real astronaut via Zoom about his career in growing microscopic proteins as well as his time on the ISS. I made many friends from across the country during the week as this year I bunked with only people from my group.

The three pictures above this were of my Mars mission. I was placed in mission control which was something I had wanted to do. Our mission did not go as smoothly as we would have liked but the astronauts made it back to Earth safely.

These are pictures of the Moon gravity simulator. NASA trained the Apollo astronauts in these to help them get experience working in low gravity

This is me in another simulator experiencing how it feels to be on a spacewalk. I got to use one to work on the Space Station in my second mission which was quite fun.

Here is me on the Multi-Axis Trainer. Your center of gravity states in on place so you don't get nauseous which is an odd sensation.

       As I said, there was a lot not captured that I really enjoyed. Like I said earlier we got to speak with former Shuttle astronaut Dr. Lawrence DeLucas. He has a masters degree in chemistry and doctorates in Optometry and Biochemistry from UAB. As well as being a payload specialist on Shuttle mission STS 50, he was NASA Chief Scientist for the ISS from 1994 through 1995 and was later a professor at UAB. While in space, he studied how protein crystals grow better without gravity which as the cost of payloads being sent to space drops, could significantly help the effectiveness of many current and future medicines. We were also able to talk to a Space Center docent who worked on parts of the Shuttle. He told us a lot about the Saturn 5 rocket and how it was built and operated and answered lots of interesting questions. Less notably, we were able to go to the planetarium and IMAX theatre and watch shows there. 

    At the graduation ceremony, my team was given the award for teamwork and communication. We definitely weren't amazing at either of those qualities but we were excited to get an award. Were both crew trainer's first group ever so they were very excited too. It was an amazing week. I might branch out and try something different next year but I have really enjoyed my trips so far.