Next, we learned about the roles we will play on tomorrow’s simulated shuttle mission. I had hoped to get mission commander and fly the shuttle, but I didn’t. The good news is that I am going to be Flight Director. The Flight Director is in charge in mission control and is responsible for making sure that every aspect of the mission goes smoothly. I will also be in charge of getting any problems solved during the mission. This is a pretty big responsibility and I’m looking forward to it. Here’s a quick video of my station at mission control and the front of the shuttle simulator.
In the afternoon we went out to Marshall Space Flight Center where they actually build REAL rockets. Did you know that U.S. engineers are designing new rockets to go back to the moon? We got to talk to a number of people who are working on the new Ares I rocket. We got to watch rocket launch of a 1/100 scale model of the Ares I. The real Ares I will be over 300 feet tall. Here’s the launch. The model rocket went about 700 feet high. Watch where the parachute section lands.
Next at Marshall, we got to talk to an engineer whose job is to think about how the new rockets will be designed. It’s important to carefully plan a rocket before you start to build it. His job is to build full-scale models of parts of the rocket out of wood, metal and plastic. These models help engineers decide how the rockets should be put together so that people can easily work on them. Here are a few shots of some of the models.
Back at Space Camp, the wind and rain finally died down enough for us to ride the Space Shot. While it may look like an amusement park ride, Space Shot actually shows us a lot about physics. When it accelerates upwards, you feel 3 Gs. This means that you actually feel three times heavier than normal because you are accelerating quickly. When the ride reaches the top and starts to fall, you feel the same thing the astronauts feel when they are in a microgravity environment. Watch and see if you can tell when we feel microgravity. Also, ignore my silly screaming.
5 comments:
Who else could be Flight Director? Maybe they will get you a vest like the guy during the Apollo missions--Gene Krantz? I'm sure you want to stay there but we can't wait to hear about all of this in person. The blog is great and I've used it in Intel and Tech Thursday as a superb example of how to use a blog!!! Enjoy the trip home!!
Looks like you are having an real adventure. Wish I was there too! Can't wait for your next update.
MOM
I said lunch not launch!!
Reminder for everyone to press play 2 times on videos to activate them. At least that is what I had to do.
Sounds pretty dangerous to fly around with the payload doors open.
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