Tuesday Onwards

Tuesday:

Up at about 7:20 to leave at 8:05 for Cocoa Beach High School, joined classes of students to converse about what we're doing here and anything else that may come up in coversation, some things that popped up included the US Elections, What our trip includes and what we've already done, Driving age in US and UK, etc. We spent about 3 hours at the School and i came away with a good knowledge of the US elections, the US school structure - and the knowledge of how lucky i am to be on this trip. After the visit to the school we had lunch and then went shopping at Merrit Island Mall, later we went to Kennedy and Browsed at our own will for a walk around. We had dinner at Whilstle Junction Cafe before leaving for the local planetarium where i was experimenting with a Van De-Graff Generator, we also had a 3D cinema (which was amazing) before going up tp the top level for some professional observing on the observatories £250,000 24" telescope, in the process viewing the Andromeda galaxy, Jupiter and the Pegasus Cluster. I asked the resident astronomer many questions, some similar because the last answer wasnt detailed enough or i just wanted more information. I think i talked to him rather alot because at the end of the night the staff asked him the question "What is the universe expanding into?" and he told them to ask me instead. =D

Wednesday:

Up at about 7:20 again for the Astronaut Training Experience (ATX) which involved the usage of simulators and training equipment similar to what trainee Astronauts use. First of all we were assigned roles for the shuttle missions simulator we would be doing later on in the day. Luckily i got one of the highest roles, Mission Commander (2nd only to flight director - however im on the shuttle), this meant i am team leader on the shuttle, flying and landing the shuttle, and along with the pilot - activate the controls for succesful operation of the shuttle both during norma l mission and emergencies. After assignment we used computer simulation to train for our roles for about 30 mins, before taking a trip over to the training equipment. This is where the real fun began. We all got to use the following:

1. The MAT (Multi-Axis Trainer) - A 3 axis simulator similar to a theme park ride that simulates out of control flight in space.

2. Lunar gravity simulator - Using weights on springs we were able to get a reasonable insight as to the feeling you would get when walking on the lunar surface, at 1/6 of your normal weight.

3. The trajectory machine - Trying to throw a ball at a certain trajectory while spinning, so that the ball would hit eachother.

4. Rocket building - Firework powered rockets with deployable parachutes.

5. Bridge building - Challenge to build a bridge out of KNex to span a 24 inch gap and hold various weights. I got 2nd place behind Matt which i was happy with. Nice one matt! =D

6. Shuttle take-off simulator - Different roles. Taking off and ingition etc, docking with ISS and then Landing again.

(For reference, when we got to the Shuttle simulator the Commander managed to get a perfect landing!) 

(Despite leaving 2 mission specialists in space).

After the ATX we headed straight over to Amway Stadium to see the Opening of the NBA 08-09 Basketball Season match between Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks. Despite a slow start the game picked up extremely well in the 2nd quarter and unfortunately the Hawks won 99-85. It was a truly mangificent experience and i would definately see a match like that again if i ever got the chance.

Thursday:

Up at a slightly later time at 7:40 to leave at 8:20. Went straight to Kennedy Space Centre to go on the SLE (SHuttle Launch Experience) which was rather fun, its very similar to those simulation rides at arcades. We then had some free time to shop around and met up later for lunch. After lunch we continued on to our Cape Canaveral "then and now" tour, where we went to the site of the Apollo 1 Disaster, which had me thinking alot about what had happened in the place i was stood. We went to the rocklet garden to view various rockets and a small museum of past missions and astronauts. After that we went to lunch and now is bed time for homecoming tomorrow.

England here we come.  

Update

Hi all, we have had some problems with connectivity in the hotel and therefore have not been able to blog so here is an update for the past few days. Thursday we spent all day taking a Physics masterclass with Mr Ojar which covered topics involved in the flight of rockets and travel to Mars. During this we had an interruption from an important guest, Mr Gene Kranz the well know Misson Controller form the days of Apollo missions and famously known from Apollo 13. In the evening we ate at the Villa Capri which is a fantastic Italian restaurant and we were joined by Mr George Abbey who was the director of Jonson space centre and also Jean Loup Crietien, a French born astronaut who flew with the Russians on the Soyuz and stay on MIR space station and also flew with NASA on the space shuttle. Friday we spent the entire day at Jonson space centre taking the level 9 tour. This allowed us to attend the current control centres for both the space shuttle and the ISS which gave an insight into how modern spacecraft are controlled and managed. We continued on to the Neutral Bouancy Lab which is where astronauts train in an enormous pool where they are weighted to recreate the floating conditions experienced in micro gravity. Following this we travelled to the world's largest vacuum chamber which was used to test the apollo space craft with a door weighing 40 tonnes but hinged so that it could be closed by hand. We also visted the Vehicle Mock up Facility where elements of things such as the ISS are tested and visited the Saturn V which is the largest most complex rocket ever built which was an awe inspiring sight. We also visited historic mission control where the apollo missions were controlled from allowing us to see the very speaker where the immortal words "The Eagal has landed" were first heard. Saturday, the morning was spent at Jonson where we constructed water rockets under the supervision of the NASA education staff and then competed to see who could launch and recover their rocket most successfully. Then in the afternoon we travelled to Allen's Famous Texas Boots on the recommendation of Mr Abbey where we were able to purchase some of the obligatory ten gallon hats and then stood outside to watch the Thunderbirds performing in the air show. Sunday, we flew from Houston to Orlando and checked into the Wakulla suites and relaxed by the pool for a while and had an evening exploring the local area and collected our passes from Kennedy Space centre. Monday, we had our first visit to Kennedy Space centre and went on the Up close tour. This allowed us to see both the shuttle launch pads, we also saw the VAB or vehicle assembly building, as you may have noticed NASA likes abrehiviations. In the afternoon we travelled to the Astronaut Space Walk of Fame which is a centre staffed by ex NASA employees one of which, Sam Beddingfield who flew with Gus Grissom in the airforce and got into the NASA program because of him. All the staff had very interesting stories about their own personal expirience and where were valuable to talk to and gain some vital knowlege. The centre also runs memorials to all of the manned space program from Mercury through to Apollo and are hoping to set up one for the Space shuttle but as the centre is run on contrabutions from the public they are still collecting funds.

Thankyou for reading and hopefully the next few posts will be more regular.

Matt

Catchup.

Due to recent problems with the wireless connectivity, we've been unable to continue with the blog up until today, which means i have about 4 days to catch up on. 

Friday:

We went to iHop again for breakfast in the morning, leaving the hotel at 8am, (i had a Breakfast Sampler, finished it!), and afterwards we proceeded to Johnson Space centre early meeting Anou for our Level 9 tour of the various facilities at the centre. The first destination of the tour was the Neutral Buoyancy lab, the worlds biggest pool by volume, at the time we visited, there were astronauts training in the pool on a section of the International Space Station, it was a very fascinating experience along with the Tour Guide giving us alot of Interesting information to go with it. After our visit to the Lab, we went for Lunch in Johnson Centre cafe, i was rather hungy so decided to pile up the food (it was free on a lvl 9 card). After lunch we proceeded to the Astronaut Training Mock-up Facility, viewing different parts of the international space station and some proposed sections and prototypes of future craft, many good picture opportunities arose here. Once we had finished our tour at the Training Facility we continued to the Largest Vacuum chamber in the world, of which the door alone weighs 40 tonnes and can be moved by one person. It is used to simulate different atmospheric pressures for training and testing of equipment. After this we went to our last tour destination of the day - The Saturn V rocket, the largest and most complicated rocket ever built by mankind. It is 36 storeys high (or 346 feet high) when stood up, but is laid down at the Centre. Still - the sheer size is enough to keep you amused for ages. After the tour ended we went shopping in the local mall, and went for Dinner at the Cracker Barrel, a texan steakhouse where i had the best steak iv ever tasted (medium rare, with hash brown casserole and chips). 

Saturday:

We went to iHop (again) in the morning (after leaving at 8am), this time i had another breakfast sampler (i like those), and later went in for a Rocket 101 Workshop, (in which our team won). After that we were allowed some time to browse the space centre and do some merchandise shopping, before going to "Allens Famous Texas Boots" - a true texan cowboy kit shop, of which the motto is "Not The Biggest, Just The Best". We had a good talk with some of the staff there, and also George Abbey who met us there. We went outside the shop to watch the Thunderbirds do an air show (whom we met at iHop on the first day). After this we took a visit to the Hummer Dealer (for interest of others), and had some photo opportunities as well. Later, we went for dinner at a Chinese Buffet place, where we all piled on food and stuffed ourselves, while having conversation with Anou, and Kevin Millet - (Chief of safety for the shuttle and Constellation program, and Aeronautical Engineer).

Sunday:

Rush hour (day), flown from Houston to Orlando - and then to cocoa beach. Beautiful views from the airplane coming in from the Gulf of Mexico into West Florida. After arriving at Wakulla Suites motel (on the beachside), we went for a swim in the pool (which was really warm) and then went to the Shark Pit for dinner (which is part of a surf shop). I had a 10lb sirlion with Garlic Mash (which was really nice, though the steak was a little rare).

Monday:

Got up at 6:20 to go for a morning run along cocoa beach to the pier to watch the sunrise, (about 3km each way, well worth the run though). At 8:30 we left for Kennedy Space centre to have our "Close Up" tour of the Centre and all of the Hardware facilities. We went to view the VAB (vehicle assembly building, which is absolutely huge, and was the biggest building by volume in the world for a time). This is where the shuttles and rockets are built, and we went along the transporter path used by the shuttle carrier to the Launch pad, one of which was undergoing construction and another that had a shuttle on the pad. There were many picture opportunities on this trip, we also went to the Shuttle landing runway, which is about 3 miles long, and then to the other Saturn V rocket (of which only 3 exist, one in Alabama, one in Johnson and one in Kennedy). Along with a theater show and tour guide information made most of our day. We went to the Astronaut walk of fame museum (run entirely by volunteers), this was a very interesting few hours which we had opportunities to view and play with multiple space artifacts and monuments (while seeing dolphins from the walkway). We later went for food at WhilstleStop cafe, for a buffet where i had 3 steaks and spaghetti bolognese.

Tuesday:

....... Still to come.

NASA Day 1

Hey, welcome to our first full day in America! During our pancake breakfast feast, we were lucky enough to meet two members of the thunderbirds, which are the American equivalent of the Red Arrows. We then went on to the Johnson Space Centre where we took part in physics masterclasses. Jene Krantz, the flight director for NASA on missions such as apollo 13 talked to our group about his experiences, which was an amazing unplanned opportunity. Tonight we are going out for a meal with members of the NASA Education Team and looking forward to the rest of our trip.