OMG!

[alaskamak10]

Hi! I'm alaskamak10. My music teacher, Ms.Heagy, won the Alaska State Teacher Award of 2011. With the award, she got also a SPACE Camp scholarship to give to any of 376 children in my school. She chose to let the kids in Lego Robotics write essays, and my school's staff decided on which essay was the best: Mine.



I am a great writer, but this was my first essay. I knew I had a slim chance against ten other kids who had probably written essays before. I was very lucky when 6 kids decided they did not want to go to SPACE Camp. (What the **** were they thinking?!) Anyways, that's my story! Now let's get down to details!




My 100 questions( )

1. Are the bathrooms or showers gross? I HATE gross showers and bathrooms! (Eugh! Who likes 'em)
2. I'm an Alaskan, and I've had to deal with pretty chilly temps...I do terrible in heat such as Alabama... Should I take the top bunk? I've heard there are vents there... l
3.What items out of my list below V should I lock up, and which should I bring with me?
4. Would it be OK if I wake up really eary... like 5:30? It gets very bright way up here in the summer... We usually wake up pretty early!





MY LIST

______
______
Duct tape...
______
Stuff that I no what to do with...


(I'll add more later...)

[p51]

I've never been to Huntsville (going to the adult camp myself next month), but I'm from Florida originally (my folks were from Tennessee and we went there all the time) and live between Seattle and Portland now (and have been to Alaksa twice), so I understand where you are and where you're going. It's hot in the south. Really hot. Africa hot. Dress lightly and drink a lot of fluids. This isn't a hot that you'll be used to, not at all. It's a humidity you've probably never had, either.
The temps can vary lot between day and night, even in the summer. There can be a 50-degree range in lows and highs, so be sure to bring a sweater (even though I doubt you'll need it).
The difference between summer and winter in regards to daylight isn't as big a deal in the south as it is in Alaska. You're gonna be 4 hours ahead, so I doubt you'll wanna get up that early, it'd almost be like getting up at midnight where you are now. The only time you'll get a benefit is when you go back home and getting up early won't be tough for a while.
Take it from me, I'm no expert on Camp, but I've been to all 50 states and have travelled a lot in the military...

[gt0163c]

1. Are the bathrooms or showers gross? I HATE gross showers and bathrooms! (Eugh! Who likes 'em)
2. I'm an Alaskan, and I've had to deal with pretty chilly temps...I do terrible in heat such as Alabama... Should I take the top bunk? I've heard there are vents there... l
3.What items out of my list below V should I lock up, and which should I bring with me?
4. Would it be OK if I wake up really eary... like 5:30? It gets very bright way up here in the summer... We usually wake up pretty early!

First off, congratulations on winning the trip! That's really exciting and I'm sure you're going to have an amazing time (who wouldn't?).

To answer your questions
1. I've never found the bathrooms or showers gross. They have always been very clean. At least the women's have been. With fewer females at camp, those bathrooms don't get used quite as much. So the guys' might be a bit less clean. I do recommend bringing flip-flops to wear to and in the shower, just a good idea anytime you're not at home.

2. What time of year are you going? It is going to be hot and it's going to be humid and you're going to be kinda miserable when you're outside. There's really no way around it. Fortunately you're not outside all that often (Area 51 will probably be the longest time). Make sure you have a water bottle with you at all times. Fill it up with ice and water at meals. That will help some. Also, let your counselor know that you have issues with the heat. If you start to feel bad, sit down (the fall is shorter if you pass out...yes I'm speaking from experience). But, as I said, most of the time you'll be inside and everything is well air conditioned.
For sleeping, I'm not sure about Hab2 (where the SC kids sleep) or Hab3 (At Aviation Challenge) but Hab1 is nice and chilly most of the time and downright cold now and then. I don't know if it really matters if you're on the top or bottom bunk (cold air sinks). Personally, I prefer the bottom just for convenience. I've always had at least one night where I was kinda cold.

3. Definitely bring a camera and keep it with you most of the time. Bring your cell phone (mostly for travel emergencies) but keep it locked up. iPod/MP3 player is up to you. You won't have time to listen to it while you're at camp, but it might be nice to have when you're traveling. Defintiely bring some duct tape. A flashlight's not a bad idea either. And, if they let kids have pocket/swiss army knives, those are useful (put it in your checked luggage).

4. Due to the time change, you'll probably be fine with getting up when everyone else does. The rooms in the Hab are completely dark (no windows in most) so the sunrise won't wake you up. If you do get up early, I'm not certain if they let kids wander around before the counselors arrive. But last time I was there (for adult camp) I went out for a run most mornings. It was neat to run through rocket park or down to AC or through the woods between the two. It was like having the place all to myself. If you do wake up early and they let you, I'd recommend at least walking through the rocket park or spending some time in the museum.

[Hotdog]

Def bring some winter bed clothes such as pajamas or long underwear in case your room is in Hab1. It gets awfully cold in there at night, especially in summer...to the point where you will want to remove the vent grates and stuff pillows in the vent to block the airflow

You might also bring some snacks like chips, candybars and things like that to keep in your locker or take along in your backpack (yes, you will want a backpack to carry around your logbook, pens, purchased gift shop souviners, camera, etc.).

And yes, duct tape and a small pocket knife will come in very handy when one of your fellow crewmembers goes bezerk on your mission

[alaskamak10]

p51: I probably don't have to worry about the heat, it will just be uncomfortable. My dad is from California, and I went there this summer... And when I was in California, somebody asked me if they had schools in Alaska!
___________________________________________________________________
gt0163c: Thanks for the congrats! I think I'm going to Hab3, I don't know! lol Thanks for the info!
___________________________________________________________________
Hotdog: I also got the Right Stuff Award!(I read ur siggy!) I'll ask my mom if I can borrow her pocket knife! I think I'll bring a tanktop to sleep in... I'll be glad to be chilly


Thanks everyone!

[Boomerang]

I would not reccomend a pocket knife. It may have been ok in hotdog's days at camp not sure it even was then but if a counselor sees a non adult camper with one it will likely be taken away and could cause other problems. I had one camper on a team i had as a counselor brought a couple of knives purely innocent to use in survival training at Aviation Challenge and he had them taken away and returned to his parent at the end of the week. If you need to cut tape scissors can likely be aquired from your cunselor. Just my reccomendation from experience.

[Hotdog]

alaskamak10: Congrats on being the first Right Stuff Award winner who won before ever going to Space Camp! Hehe.

The Right Stuff Award is given to the outstanding Space Camp trainee who goes above and beyond in leadership, teamwork and technology throughout the week

[alaskamak10]

it was really my teacher's, but she gave it to me... or should I say, she awarded me!

[alaskamak10]

Def bring some winter bed clothes such as pajamas or long underwear in case your room is in Hab1. It gets awfully cold in there at night, especially in summer...to the point where you will want to remove the vent grates and stuff pillows in the vent to block the airflow

You might also bring some snacks like chips, candybars and things like that to keep in your locker or take along in your backpack (yes, you will want a backpack to carry around your logbook, pens, purchased gift shop souviners, camera, etc.).

And yes, duct tape and a small pocket knife will come in very handy when one of your fellow crewmembers goes bezerk on your mission

Are u going on the aviation track that starts on august 12?

[Hotdog]

I wish! I did the aviation track of Advanced Space Academy in 1994 (it was called Space Academy Level II back then).

I hope to come back with an alumni group next year.

[street]

Def bring some winter bed clothes such as pajamas or long underwear in case your room is in Hab1. It gets awfully cold in there at night, especially in summer...to the point where you will want to remove the vent grates and stuff pillows in the vent to block the airflow

You might also bring some snacks like chips, candybars and things like that to keep in your locker or take along in your backpack (yes, you will want a backpack to carry around your logbook, pens, purchased gift shop souviners, camera, etc.).

And yes, duct tape and a small pocket knife will come in very handy when one of your fellow crewmembers goes bezerk on your mission

I know you've already been to Camp, but for those who are reading this in anticipation of attending:

1. There are thermostats for the rooms in Hab I. If you found your room too cold or too hot tell a manager and they will adjust it for you before the next night.
2. Do not bring snacks to keep in your locker. We tell, ask, BEG you not to keep food in your room. It is the south. The south is (in)famous for 6 legged creatures who love to share your snacks and scare the bejeezus out of you. Unfortunately, when you go home some of them might go with you if you keep them well fed in the Hab. Even worse, their friends might hang out in your locker waiting for someone else to bring them snacks.
3. Do NOT, under any circumstances, bring a pocket knife or any sort of knife with you. Space Camp has a lot of the same rules your school has. Knives are definitely not allowed.

[gt0163c]

1. There are thermostats for the rooms in Hab I. If you found your room too cold or too hot tell a manager and they will adjust it for you before the next night.
2. Do not bring snacks to keep in your locker. We tell, ask, BEG you not to keep food in your room. It is the south. The south is (in)famous for 6 legged creatures who love to share your snacks and scare the bejeezus out of you. Unfortunately, when you go home some of them might go with you if you keep them well fed in the Hab. Even worse, their friends might hang out in your locker waiting for someone else to bring them snacks.
3. Do NOT, under any circumstances, bring a pocket knife or any sort of knife with you. Space Camp has a lot of the same rules your school has. Knives are definitely not allowed.

I didn't know about 1. That's good to know. Doesn't do you any good when you're freezing at 2am, but at least adjustments can be made so you're not freezing at 2am two nights in a row.

Speaking as an adult camp participant:
2. If snacks are stored in a tight closing/tupperware/rubbermade plastic container and you're very careful about crumbs (or don't eat in your room!) multi-legged critters shouldn't be a problem. You do have to be very vigilant about keeping things closed up (take any food out of your pack each night, etc).

3. I didn't have any problems with taking a pocket knife and multi-tool. But, again, I was at adult camp and that was a few years ago. And I kept it in my pack/pocket except for the few times when I actually used it. Perhaps the rules have changed/are more strictly enforced now.

And a very cool picture. Thanks for sharing.

[p51]

As for knives, I could have brought a chain saw into the Hab and I doubt anyone would have cared so long as they didn't see it. But again, I was at an adult camp.
Here's a few things that I either did or wished that I had that are good advice:

1. Wear shorts. It's freaking hot in Huntsville, well into fall. If you're not from the South, you'll feel like you were melting. It's best to have short with big cargo pockets so you can carry a water bottle and anything else you might need. The water bottle should be clear so you know how much you have (you're never far away from a place to fill one up).
2. If you're eating snacks in the Hab, you didn't eat enough at dinner. I found that the meals were just fine and if you drink water through the day, you're really not that hungry anyway. I never found the need to snack the entire time I was there.
3. Bring a small notebook, about the size of a small day planner. The pad and cover they give you is large, about legal size and that's hard to take out and put away when you need to make quick notes. A small pad works great when you need to jot anything down (mine had a metal cover, from the 90s with a recessed pen but any small pad would work well).
4. A bag to carry your stuff is a good thing. I had a military helmet bag with patches from missions I'd seen go up and NASA facilites I'd been to, and it carried my notebook, good camera, shades and at the end of day thre, my flightsuit to change into quickly for graduation.
5. On the subject of flight suits, I put a lot of time and effort into personalizing mine and I wore it for about an hour the entire time. Out of 12 of us in our group, only three of us had them and we only wore them when getting our wings. It was that darned hot outside. That said, if you have one, WEAR it on one of your missions and have someone get a good shot of you in an 'astronaut environment' in it. That's my one regret at camp was not getting a good, "I was there" shot while wearing mine. I photoshopped a good photo of the Endeavor nose with me in it and you can't tell it's not real, but I deeply wish I'd had a shot of me in my flightsuit when I was the orbiter pilot during the Charlie mission.
6. Take pictures, but not too many that you recorded camp instead of experienced it. I have no shots of me in the F-18 simulator (no major loss as I've flown in a real one), MCC or the ISS but got a few of me in the cockpit of the Enterprise. There's a fine line between getting good shots and afterward realizing you didn't stop to take the experience in, though. Ask your pals to take shots of you doing cool stuff and do the same for them.
7. Hang with your team, try to talk with all of them. I was blessed to have a great group who all got along, but there were one or two people I just didn't get to talk with all that much. I wish I'd had more time for that, but I sure made an attempt to get to know as many of them as I could (which rocked because they were all very interesting). Some of your team will have the neatest stories (one couple had the coolest marriage proposal and wedding story I've ever heard), try to hear them. The other adult group at the same time didn't have the same team spirit than ours did. A few of them never wore their camp stuff and they never ate meals as a single group. I'm so glad I wasn't on their team!
8. Get e-mails from your team. I can assure you that someone got a great photo of you that you'd like. Our team did good in getting info and we used that to exchange photos and I'm using that as a communcation source to keep everyone informed on the status of the patches I'm going to have made.

[street]

Speaking as an adult camp participant:
2. If snacks are stored in a tight closing/tupperware/rubbermade plastic container and you're very careful about crumbs (or don't eat in your room!) multi-legged critters shouldn't be a problem. You do have to be very vigilant about keeping things closed up (take any food out of your pack each night, etc).

3. I didn't have any problems with taking a pocket knife and multi-tool. But, again, I was at adult camp and that was a few years ago. And I kept it in my pack/pocket except for the few times when I actually used it. Perhaps the rules have changed/are more strictly enforced now.

Again, the rules for adults are a bit looser, as we assume adults act responsibly, but we do not want anyone, no matter their age, to have food in their Hab rooms. It is impossible to not attract the critters. If you must have snacks between meals and want to bring your own you can make arrangements to store it elsewhere (with the nurses for medical reasons) or in the cafeteria.

As far as the knife, again, you are an adult, you can make that choice, but if a child is found with such an item it will be confiscated.

And as to the 'duct tape' situation, it's a joke. The only ones who ever bring it are the adults. Trainees below Advanced Academy and Adult Academy do not have anomalies that would suggest restraining anyone. We don't need the 9-15 year old set thinking they will or can do that sort of thing. Even with the high schoolers that is carefully handled to avoid bullying or making anyone feel uncomfortable. We want everyone to have fun and enjoy their Space Camp experience.

[Boomerang]

I think the duct tape thing has become widespread here beacause for so many people posting here their last experience was Advanced academy or its ealier equivelant or an adult program where anomolies like that are used. Otherwise your right anomolies are much simpler for other programs and its really not required and could cause more trouble thyan its worth.

[p51]

And as to the 'duct tape' situation, it's a joke. The only ones who ever bring it are the adults. Trainees below Advanced Academy and Adult Academy do not have anomalies that would suggest restraining anyone. We don't need the 9-15 year old set thinking they will or can do that sort of thing. Even with the high schoolers that is carefully handled to avoid bullying or making anyone feel uncomfortable. We want everyone to have fun and enjoy their Space Camp experience.

The only thing duct tape came in handy for was to secure the mattress cover that was so stretched out it wouldn't fit. We didn't have any situations in orbit that called for it.

[SpaceCanada]

Sorry, off topic but had to mention:

At adult alumni camp 2004 I saw this really pretty bug outside Hab 2 and started playing with it. Eventually, I picked it up to show some team mates who screamed. It's a bug, a pretty bug, how was I supposed to know it was a cockroach? Why do they scare people so much? For being so resilient, they don't live up here.

[street]

Why do they scare people so much? For being so resilient, they don't live up here.

Not off topic at all! They are the very reason we don't want food in the Hab! They are nasty, disease carrying pests and they're so honking big! *shivers* And by the way, some of them bite. They don't live in Canada because they are a semi-tropical creature. Further north there are different varieties, but they're all nasty.