HESA Space Camp Day 4

Day 4 was Sunday...Father's Day.  Not only was I spending it away from my husband (the greatest father on this planet), but it was also my first Father's Day without my own father who had passed away just 5 months prior.  I was very thankful that although I was four hours away from my family, I was having the time of my life and staying very busy.

This day of camp started with the launching of our rockets.  We were taken to a field on campus to conduct our launch.  When we got there I was so excited to see that the field was called Homer H. Hickam, Jr. Launch Pad.  Homer Hickam's story is one of my favorite stories about dedication and determination.

Team Columbus prior to launch

Once we launched our rockets we only got to retrieve them if they landed in the field and not in the trees.  As I made my way up to the launch pad I was hoping my rocket was built to withstand the wind and land in an area where I would be able to keep it as a souvenir.

3...2...1...LAUNCH!

My rocket launch went perfectly and I was able to bring my rocket home with me.  It will have a place in my classroom this fall.

After our launch we had a little free time.  Our team decided to ride some of the public simulators that had been too crowded during the week.  We took lots of pictures and ran around the US Space and Rocket Center like a bunch of kids who had just been dropped off at an amusement park.

The Moon...Bacon and Luke

Team Columbus with Endeavour

The Moon...The Girls

Our next activity was our Bravo Mission, we had trained for this the previous day.  In this mission we were launching into space to trade places with the mission specialists at ISS.  My job was to trade places with another mission specialist and begin my time at ISS.  Once there, Kristen and I had to repair damages from a storm.  We had to replace a broken window and change out electrical pieces.  We got to complete an EVA (Extravehicular Activity) which means we put on full space gear and conducted our work as though we were in space.

Ready for Liftoff!!

On Our Way!!

Walking in Space

Aboard ISS

Repairing the window 

Mission Complete

After lunch we were taken to two simulators that are only open to space camp attendees.  The Multi-Axis Trainer and the 1/6th Gravity Chair.  I had already been on the MAT before and it had made me nauseous so I decided to not try it again.  The gravity chair was a lot of fun and a lot of work.  Without gravity you have to put forth so much energy and muscle to move the slightest bit.  It was a very strange feeling.


















Our final activity for the day was Ablative Shields.  We were given the task to build an ablative shield for our astronaut (an egg) that would protect our egg for five minutes under extreme heat.  We made our shield using Spackle, cork board, a noodle, and aluminum foil.  Our temperature increased and burned through the foil, but the moist from the Spackle was able to keep our temperature down and our egg survived.

Our uncooked egg

Our shield at the beginning

Our shield toward the end

We had a blast with all of the activities on Day 4.  We were all once again pretty exhausted by the time we got back to our dorms.  As tired as we were, we decided to go out as a team that night since it was our last night before graduation.  We took a cab to a restaurant called Below the Radar.  We had appetizers while we watched the NBA finals game against the Warriors and the Cavaliers.  LeBron James and his Cavaliers won against Steph Curry and his Warriors.  It was definitely a fun night!!