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Richasi
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Post by Richasi »

Back from Alumni Camp! It was great! I had a blast!

Yay team! :)
Space Camp • June 11-16, 1989 - Session 31 - Martin Marietta
Space Academy, Level 1 • June 16-21, 1991 - Session 24 - BDM
Adult Space Academy • September 26-28, 2003 - Session 52 - Discovery
Alumni Camp • June 14-17, 2007 - Session 38 - Challenger
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pilotgirl21
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Post by pilotgirl21 »

I got back to my house last night around 10:30. I had the best time of my life! Hope too hear from everyone else soon!
Lisa from Chicago aka White Sox
ASA 7/27-8/1 1997 International Week Gagarin-Pilot
ASA 7/1-7/6 1998 Gagarin-PS
Alumni Adult Weekend 6/14-6/17 2007 Challenger-Commander, Challumbia-Flight Director
iheartspacecamp
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Post by iheartspacecamp »

TELL ME EVERY SINGLE DETAIL!!!! and i better see pics posted soon!! :)

now i'm geting all excited for my alumni session in august!
Space Camp - 4/14/91 - 4/19-91 - Saturn team
Academy I - 4/18/93 - 4/23/93 - Mart. Marietta B
Academy I - 7/3/94 - 7/8/94 - Thiokol B
Alumni Academy 8/2/07 - 8/5/07 - Columbia
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pilotgirl21
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Post by pilotgirl21 »

I'm going to do a blog post on myspace and I will copy it over here for anyone who doesn't have myspace about the weekend. And I will get some pics posted sometime (soon I hope).
Lisa from Chicago aka White Sox
ASA 7/27-8/1 1997 International Week Gagarin-Pilot
ASA 7/1-7/6 1998 Gagarin-PS
Alumni Adult Weekend 6/14-6/17 2007 Challenger-Commander, Challumbia-Flight Director
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The long drive home

Post by rkolker »

I only almost nodded off once and made it back home by 2 am, about 11 hours on the road with a dinner stop and two gas stops. It was great to meet all of you.

FYI, here's my "memo to Mike Flachbart" about how I think they should modify the program for the August session. All opinions are my own...

Memo

To: Mike Flachbart, VP Aerospace Programs
From: Rich Kolker, Alumni Camper (1985-92, 2007)
Re: Adult Alumni Session June 14-17, 2007

This memo is to serve as a supplement to the feedback forms distributed at Space Camp for the recently completed Adult Alumni session. It’s goal is to provide some guidance on the August and any subsequent similar sessions.

First, thank you for thinking of the alumni. That the session existed shows you have a sense of the history of the program, and the importance of maintaining contact with the community of former campers.

That being said…

The program needs work. Alumni range from people who attended as kids, as adults, once, twice or 11 times, but all had two things in common – they have attended before and chose to come back, and they came to Space Camp, rather than attending an Aviation Challenge (which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hold AC alumni sessions).

Given that, the program should be built around at least two “good length” (three hour at least) sims that have been prepared for, both by the campers and sim sups, to provide a challenging but fun experience for experienced campers. I’m not talking the Enterprise Team 24 hour scenario here (that wiped out even us), but something in your best simulator that provides some thinking, as well as buzzer, anomalies, a good EVA or two, and if it can be done, some useful work in space station. In addition, since you can assume some alumni may not have been back in a few years, some cockpit training time for everyone is in order, as is a chance for everyone to experience the various different EVA simulators. Each mission should include a debriefing. We want to know what we did right and wrong.

Less time should be spent at Aviation Challenge. This is SPACE camp. Where we use AC facilities, how what we are doing ties to Astronaut training should be emphasized. There’s no need for air combat, that’s not why we came. Better the AC sims be rigged with some of the shuttle landing software so we can practice THAT, not that we really have to control landings in our sims. It’s more important we can fly the HAC than do an Immelmann.

There should be some shuttle systems training. I know we’re only talking about a four day camp, but if we’re going to do some thinking anomolies, getting our hands around the systems again is helpful.

Adults can stay up late. If simulator time is an issue, schedule sims for late night, and just let us sleep a little late in the morning.

Ultimately, this is a fantasy camp for adults, and the more we can be made to feel we are astronauts while we are there, the happier the campers will be.
A few other things…

Having time with Story and Hoot in a small group was terrific. To the extent you can continue to do that, please do.

Except for the special dinner (and thanks for that) the food’s really bad. Also, adults eat more than kids, so some bigger servings (or not getting a hard time about taking two) would help. But an upgrade on the food for the adult programs would be appreciated.

That’s it for now. I tried to make it more about how to make the next session better, rather than what disappointed me with this one, but to the extent the latter came through, understand if I didn’t care about that Space Camp does, I wouldn’t complain.

Thanks again for doing this in the first place.
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Richasi
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Post by Richasi »

I will eventually post details in an LJ post or something soon. I need to collect my thoughts first, though, before I just ramble things off. =)

Otherwise, great fun. I will be sorting through my pictures tonight and will (hopefully) post them to my website. I'll post a link here too as soon as they're up!
Space Camp • June 11-16, 1989 - Session 31 - Martin Marietta
Space Academy, Level 1 • June 16-21, 1991 - Session 24 - BDM
Adult Space Academy • September 26-28, 2003 - Session 52 - Discovery
Alumni Camp • June 14-17, 2007 - Session 38 - Challenger
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Post by Benji »

I didn't get home 'till one am. At least I was able to convince Delta to give me a taxi voucher. :-) I'm at work now (very tired, of course), but I'll post all about my experience later.
Ad astra per aspera.
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pilotgirl21
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Post by pilotgirl21 »

I hope that everyone made it home by now if they were supposed to. That Dallas flight looked like it was going nowhere anytime soon when the Chicago flight left at 7:10, and Anna was on that flight to Dallas.
Lisa from Chicago aka White Sox
ASA 7/27-8/1 1997 International Week Gagarin-Pilot
ASA 7/1-7/6 1998 Gagarin-PS
Alumni Adult Weekend 6/14-6/17 2007 Challenger-Commander, Challumbia-Flight Director
des
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Re: The long drive home

Post by des »

Oh gosh, someone my age, at least I think from the photo!
I attended adult session in 1989 and AC a couple years later. That's it.
It was still memorable even if I could never attend the Advanced program due to the month, still could not.

The thing I really loved in AC was the zip line-- other water survival (by August, water temperature should be like bath water :-)). They should do that, plus a little in the flight simulators. But I agree the emphasis should be on space. And I agree on the mission length and so on. I think they should do two and switch positions.

I agree about bed times and later starts!! You aren't going to get adults to bed so you might as well let them sleep in a little. I don't see why we started things so early. Maybe lessen the frenetic pitch a bit.

Yes, the food is pretty terrible. AC was a little better as they had several special food events for adults. I don't see why at the rate we pay they can't do more of this. I attended the Space Educator's Conference, and for less than $200 we had wonderful food that was all catered in.

--des
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Post by Hotdog »

sucks to be back, read my preliminary post in the Werner Von Braun thread of Von Brauns world.
4-time Space Camp/Academy alumni
1989, 1991*, 1992, 1994
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kidjim25
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gettin home

Post by kidjim25 »

Anna had a hell of a time getting back home. I got an email from her saying she got in somewhere around 4am mountain time to her house.

I'm glad to see that Ben got his taxi voucher (he was with us in Atlanta at the slowest TGIFriday's ever created)

I'm truly glad everyone got home ok.

talk to you all soon

James
"the commander"
Space Academy July 1995-BDM International
Advanced Space Academy International Week July 1997- Tershkova/Plt
Advanced Space Academy Xmas week 1998- Von Braun/plt
Alumni Weekend 25th anniversary June 2007- Columbia-Shuttle Commander
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Post by Benji »

I sat next to the most annoying people ever on my flight back to Boston, too. They were sharing an iPod the whole time, even during takeoff (a violation of federal regs), and were singing aloud. These were two adults and I don't know why they thought it was acceptable social behavior. Fortunately, I'm good at tuning annoying things like that out (which is a very helpful skill in a relationship, btw :wink:).
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Post by JennieM »

I'll never forget the time I was returning to Camp after taking a week off to attend my sister's high school graduation. On the Space Camp Express (i.e. a Delta flight from Atlanta to Huntsville), I was one of 6 adults on the flight. The flight crew, 6 adult passengers, and about 200 kids. It was...errr...interesting, to say the least. :)
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Post by empress »

Hey Richasi !

Did you see me and Lisa wave to you as our plane passed yours on the tarmack??? We waved from both sides of the plane, so I don't see how you could have missed us...!

Great meeting you. Behave yourself!

Lori.
1986-current: Enterprise Team
"I am the Commander of this ship, and I am responsible for my crew. And I say we're doing whatever we have to, to keep them all alive." - My one-time refusal to Mission Control, thus earning me my call-sign.
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Post by pilotgirl21 »

empress wrote:Hey Richasi !

Did you see me and Lisa wave to you as our plane passed yours on the tarmack??? We waved from both sides of the plane, so I don't see how you could have missed us...!

Great meeting you. Behave yourself!

Lori.
LOL, I took a picture of his plane after we had boarded ours.
Lisa from Chicago aka White Sox
ASA 7/27-8/1 1997 International Week Gagarin-Pilot
ASA 7/1-7/6 1998 Gagarin-PS
Alumni Adult Weekend 6/14-6/17 2007 Challenger-Commander, Challumbia-Flight Director
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Richasi
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Post by Richasi »

empress wrote:Hey Richasi ! Did you see me and Lisa wave to you as our plane passed yours on the tarmack??? We waved from both sides of the plane, so I don't see how you could have missed us...! Great meeting you. Behave yourself!
Hahaha! No I didn't. :) We were still boarding at that time but I did see your plan roll by from the end of the terminal window ;)
Space Camp • June 11-16, 1989 - Session 31 - Martin Marietta
Space Academy, Level 1 • June 16-21, 1991 - Session 24 - BDM
Adult Space Academy • September 26-28, 2003 - Session 52 - Discovery
Alumni Camp • June 14-17, 2007 - Session 38 - Challenger
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Richasi
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Post by Richasi »

pilotgirl21 wrote:LOL, I took a picture of his plane after we had boarded ours.
Wow! So much attention! :) How did my plane look? It was about as small as yours, ne?
Space Camp • June 11-16, 1989 - Session 31 - Martin Marietta
Space Academy, Level 1 • June 16-21, 1991 - Session 24 - BDM
Adult Space Academy • September 26-28, 2003 - Session 52 - Discovery
Alumni Camp • June 14-17, 2007 - Session 38 - Challenger
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Post by empress »

I think your plane was the same as ours - was it a Embraer? No matter - "We beat you - nah-nah-na-nah-nah!!!" (It's Friday. I think I lost my mind on about Wednesday...) Hope you have settled into "life back home."
1986-current: Enterprise Team
"I am the Commander of this ship, and I am responsible for my crew. And I say we're doing whatever we have to, to keep them all alive." - My one-time refusal to Mission Control, thus earning me my call-sign.
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Post by rkolker »

I'm watching the mission DVD and my first comment is, it loses a lot not having both sides of the communications link. You hear either mission control, or the orbiter, but not both.
++rich
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Post by pilotgirl21 »

Richasi wrote:
pilotgirl21 wrote:LOL, I took a picture of his plane after we had boarded ours.
Wow! So much attention! :) How did my plane look? It was about as small as yours, ne?
Your plane from my plane's window. It's kind of small here, but I will get all of my pictures uploaded in a larger and better quality after I get back from Michigan next week, but here is yours! Enjoy! :D

Image
Lisa from Chicago aka White Sox
ASA 7/27-8/1 1997 International Week Gagarin-Pilot
ASA 7/1-7/6 1998 Gagarin-PS
Alumni Adult Weekend 6/14-6/17 2007 Challenger-Commander, Challumbia-Flight Director
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