Space Mission

Today was our space mission test. I was a flight engineer in this ISS training lab. I was a scientist in space. I got to make a superball. It is basically a handmade bouncy ball made with some chemical and alcohol. I also made foam. But it’s hard. It got harder and warmer by the minute until it was totally hard. You could drop it and it wouldn’t break. And after that we made starchy slime. It’s just a kind of silly putty made from white glue and a chemical. That’s all of the stuff I made while being a FE in the mission. It was amazing making all the stuff and I had a lot f fun.

Space Camp, Day 4, Exploring Space Camp

Today was our first day in the actual Space Camp and I would say it was probably the funniest day yet. The first thing we did was explore around USSRC. We saw monuments, model rockets, exhibits and hands-on stuff. We also went on some simulators.

The first simulator was the G-force Simulator which made the impression of very low gravity. It is like a little alien spaceship with padding, colored spots on the inside with seat belts. It made you weigh 4 times more than your original weight and it felt like a magnet was pulling you to the wall. It went 40 to 50 miles an hour which is really fast. It was hard lifting yourself during the ride, it was like lifting a weight. It was really fun and I had a blast in it.

The second simulator was a Mars Mission Roller Coaster Simulator. I was like entering a giant bean with 14 seats on it and a screen. First you landed in Mars then went through this kind of desert. Then you went into this portal thing which lead you into this roller coaster that went up, down, left, right. It was crazy.

Then we went to this practice Launch Mission which you have special assignments and the space camp people grade you on. I am Flight Engineer 2 and I get to make experiments in this fake ISS (International Space Station) lab. The real, graded thing is tomorrow. I felt like I was in a real mission. I could hear the people talking thru the intercom andpushed buttons and panels. I can’t wait for the real thing tomorrow.

The next simulator was the MAT which spun you around in all directions to show how it would feel to spin in space. It felt awesome to be spinning, doing backflips and front flips. It like flying out of control. It felt weird because all the blood goes up to your head. But it was the awesomest simulator I’ve ever been in.

Reflections on Yesterday

The waterfall, the most fabulous I’ve ever seen. With the high lights that Nathan, our tour guide, put in and the Disney like music he snuck in, it was marvelous being in the presence of the wonderful site. It was like being in a happy ending of a Disney movie. With all my friends having fun and chatting under the waterfall it was. I could smell the dirt, but with the waterfall it seemed like smelling flowers. In that muddy, rocky cave the waterfall just made it better. Like editing an image completely. I loved the waterfall and I hope I see it again.

Space Camp, Day 3, Dirty Caving

Today we went caving in Tumbling Rock Cave. It was super fun. I saw a ton of rocks, stalagmites that got broken and stolen, dark caves, salamanders and the coolest waterfall that was 300 ft. high and it looked like I was in a Disney movie. I heard a lot of voices and water. I smelled dirt, a lot of dirt. And I touched dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, water and dirt. I was really dirty.

There were some struggles because there were really slippery rocks and steep cliffs. I slipped a lot and had to parkour around rocks and streams. It was fun because somebody always helped you out. But I couldn’t pee for 6 hours, it was torture. It was cool helping other people, I felt like a hero. I had a swag time in the cave and it was awesome.

Space Camp, Day 2, Quarry & Monte Sano

Today we went to the Vulcan Quarry and to Monte Sano State Park. First we went to Vulcan Quarry to look for fossils. We found Crinoids and Blastoids and other fossils. They also showed us how they blew up the site. It looks like a land tsunami. And they put all the safety equipment they had to use, on me! I was so hot in those clothes. And the guy who showed us the quarry was also really nice.

I saw fossils that were about 1-2 inch, water that was really teal-blue. I heard machines and cars. I smelled dust and water that was weird. Touched the equipment harness, helmet, gloves, boots, earplugs, face mask and glasses. Everything was pretty awesome.

Then came the hiking. There was a lot of poison ivy on the side of the trails. And we took a lot of pictures and selfies. There was a wonderful view of the mountain. It was fun just chillin’, walking and talking with my friends. There were a lot of plants and flowers. I had a lot of fun today and here are some pictures to prove it.

Space Camp Trip, Day 1, Discovering Matter

Today is our first day and arrival to Alabama. I woke up at 3:05 and didn’t sleep much. I was so exited for this amazing trip. We travelled from Portland to Washington D.C., we got to see the White House and the Pentagon. Then we went in a smaller airplane from D.C. to Huntsville, Alabama.

In the airport, we learned about stuff Leonardo DaVinci drew and thought to fly. Also airplanes, spacecrafts and helicopters like the Bell Ranger and the Saturn V. We also went to a museum called Sci-Quest where there were giant bubble makers, spinning wheels, pulleys, gravity stuff, human body stuff and fun classes. One of the classes was based on crystals and we got to make crystals too. The other class was about gas, liquid, solid and plasma. There were fire balls, dry ice and a really cool teacher. I had a great first day in Alabama and I hope my next days are the same.

This is advanced 6th grade science, do not try this at home.

We did this:

And that makes flame throwers which can burn your face. How well we oxidized propane and it turned into a massive flame.

Challenger Destroyed

The Challenger, which is a space shuttle blew up about 1 minute after it’s launch in Florida. The cause was a little rubber cap that sealed gases, it extracted and it let a flame out which got to the engine and exploded.

Interesting factoid

The ISS is as big as a football field. The first ISS was named Zarya which is kind of weird. It also has something called OGS which stands for oxygen generation system. It took out an astounding 136 space flights on seven different types of launch vehicles to build it.

Apollo 1

The Apollo/Saturn space vehicle got a flash burn on January 27 1967.