Day Six

COCOA BEACH, Fla. – Today we visited the NASA Center for Space Education, toured a hangar full of obsolete ICBMs, looked through a hangar of used Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster parts being refurbished, rode a Shuttle launch simulator, visited the Air Force Space and Missile Museum, talked with a half dozen Air Force officers about their personal military experiences, and took the activity’s final test. We high-tailed it from location to location, and the cadets enjoyed every one of them.

First up was the NASA Center for Space Education. We were met by Linda Scauzillo, who showed us a cool presentation on the future of the Constellation program. After the movie, each one of us got lengths of string, scissors, scotch tape, a paper cup, and a playing marble. With these simple resources, we were tasked to design an imaginary emergency egress system for the Constellation astronauts. We were divided into teams of three and it was amazing to see how many different ideas the cadets came up with.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

[1] Cadet Capt David Resnick. [2] Cadet Capt Jonathan Hendry dons a spacesuit. [3] Cadet Beverly Martin imagines herself in space. [4] Capt. Gary Dahlke talks about the ICBMs and capsules. [5] Mr. Manuel Deleon narrates the slideshow.

Next, we went to a space shuttle launch simulator called the Shuttle Launch Experience. “It was a good simulation because it had been built with the input of many shuttle astronauts who really know what launch feels like,” said C/Capt. David Resnick.“ On top of that, the person walking us through the “launch” from the TV screens was Charlie Bolden, the NASA administrator.

After lunch at Burger King, we toured two hangars: one filled with obsolete ICBMs and the other with parts of the Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) in various stages of repair. Mr. Manuel Deleon, a SRB recovery, dismantling, and refurbishing engineer, showed us several movies of what it’s like to retrieve the SRBs from the middle of the ocean, and the many challenges and difficulties that go with the job. It was very entertaining.

Space Launch Complex 14, the site of Alan Sheppard’s launch in Friendship 7, was special. Taking off from that launch pad, he went into orbit and became the first American in space. It was a very interesting place. We walked into the blockhouse, the concrete-reinforced building that used to be operated as the launch control room. Waiting for us were several Air Force Officers ranking from 2nd Lt. to Capt. We all sat down and had a question and answer session, during which they told us about their experiences in the military.

After a delicious dinner, we went to the classroom to take the final test. Cadet Capt. Jonathan Hendry had this to say, “I though it was a good compilation of the week’s instruction and included many angles of the space program.” “The questions varied from easy to difficult, without any predictability,” said Cadet Master Sgt. Beverly Martin. “It kept me on my toes and I had fun taking the test.”