Watching the kids on mission.

Really noisy debrief as they excitedly talk to each other…LOL!

Things are very quiet at breakfast this morning. Missions, rocket launching and a huge variety of other things are sapping energy levels – so they are filling up on a good Space Camp breakfast.

The adults had an early breakfast as they are landing on Mars this morning. I am sure there will be photos!

This is the last full day of Space Camp and we graduate tomorrow.

Space Camp is in full swing. They are so busy I cannot grab a single participant to add to the blog! Presently they are fast asleep – it is 11 pm here.

The food is excellent – with apples, bananas and cantaloupes available 24/7.

There is a large selection of food – everyone can choose bowls of cauliflower in white sauce, vegetarian lasagne, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, little bread rolls, chicken, meat, carrots, etc etc etc. No one looks sad at meal times!

I was watching Luna on their mission today – very professional and in control. Communicating well and focussing on the tasks presented.

Not so the adults – where I saw one particular person with a fake hand trying to shake hands with people, another with swimming goggles on trying to do free style on the polished concrete floor and another one had hidden the flight manuals on the pilot and commander. They were very naughty. Luckily the students did not see these shenanigans!

All merchandise has been ordered. Mission patches designed and ordered.

Tomorrow and Wednesday are gift shop days so I will be on hand to give them their money and collect it again.

Every time I see our student participants – I am very proud as they are well mannered, well behaved and trying all tasks set before them.

Three bus loads of students arrived from Birmingham yesterday. 48 elementary students and their teachers. They were saying how their 90 minute bus ride was a nightmare. I told them I could understand this and then handed them 5 packets of koalas to give to their students, one of them asked – how long did it take you to get here? I said – we left on 28th September and arrived on 1st October. All up – 13 hours flying to LAX and then two plane flights of 4:22 and then 57 minutes….They looked at me like “Are you crazy?” and stopped talking about their bad bus trip!

I have encouraged them to talk to their students about saying hi to us by giving them a koala – that way the students need to say “Thank you” to one of our participants. It is an easy way to get the students talking to one another.

Anyway – time for bed. Another fun day awaits tomorrow!

Good night from 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville (aka Space Camp)

Here are some mission control photos of team Elysium training.

This morning everyone is rearing to go – breakfast has been eaten.

I took a quick couple of photos.

The adults are doing mission training and it would be a best selling comedy! I’ll try and get some photos.

The younger kids are in team Luna – and they are heading off now to learn about rocket propulsion.

The older students are in team Elysium and are now going into mission training as the adults have just come out.

Tonight Elysium will be doing SCUBA.

I am sitting in an empty cafeteria and the younger group just walked into mission control and are looking at the simulators.

Arrival was uneventful and after they had a briefing – then dinner – it is full on program time.

The older kids have just come back from the Imax and other things.

The adults are being VERY CHALLENGED with rocketry construction and design. I saw many scowls and also mathematical formulas being written everywhere.

I’ll post photos tomorrow.

Everything is going great!

Well we had a fantastic day today.  We all went on the rides as a big group, saw the backlot and some famous sets, such as the Bates Motel and we meet Jaws….sorry Bruce. We did a runner from the LAPD…..on the backlot 🙂 We went on the Simpson ride, went to Draggon Alley, rode through Jurassic Park and got soaking wet and much much more. All the students were great and behaved wonderfully. Well must be off to bed a 3am start tomorrow and off to SPACE CAMP!!!!!

Stay tuned Gemma xx

Today was an exciting day, we went to the Californian Science centre. First we went to see the Space shuttle Endeavour, omg! How amazing it looks like a huge puzzle! On the top it looks like a patch work quilt. Then we went and made roller coasters with a loop the loop in it. Viv and I then ran a muck through the rest of the centre….we were in a hurricane, felt an ice wall then turned our hands black.  Oh and I found some police officer who were very friendly. What an amazing day, off to Universal studios tomorrow……stay tuned.

Love Gemma xx

Did you know…?

Roses are related to apples and plums.

Giraffes blood pressure runs slower then a female human.

Without rot their wouldn’t  be skeletons in a grave  (ok that one is a bit grim).

Do you want to know where I found this information it was the California Science Center. At the Science Center we made many discovery’s and (as you saw) fun facts. We arrived and we separated into 2 groups, group 1 and group 2 ( I was in group two so this is my perspective). First we enter the museum and learned all about the famous Endeavour. After looking around we had to go to the Rollo-coaster station. what we learned is friction and gravity. we where put into groups of 4 and 5. we mad our own little Rollo-coaster. After this, since we had heaps of time left, we had been given a challenge of how many loops can you make with out it falling off or bouncing. the record was 14 but we smashed the record with a massive 15. No need to brag  but I did make it all possible by saying that the loops should be closer and that saved space 🙂 . we had a really good time and I would recommend going to the California Science Center to anyone who visits L.A.

Lots of smiles Caitlyn  : )