Questions about ASA

[landon]

Hello all, I have been floating around these forums for a few weeks, so I decided to post some questions I got about ASA. Please bear with me as some of them may be pretty stupid, but I'd like to know 100% what I'm getting into before I shell out $1,049.00 to do it.

#1: On the spacecamp website, when you click under "Dates and Tuition" it brings up a list of all the dates for ASA. It also tells you the tracks available. How come each session on has one track option? I figured you could choose rather you wanted to do the Pilot track or the MS track? If only one track is available for each session, it seems kind of strange... I mean are the MS the ones who pilot the shuttle when only the MS track is availble? And when the Pilot track is available, do they do the MS job?

#2: If I sign up for the Pilot track, will I get to pilot the shuttle on the EDM? Or how does it work? Will I ever get to pilot the shuttle?

#3: on the EDM, how "Real" is the experiance? I take it the orbitor isnt motionor anything like that? I think it would be cool to be able to experiance the shaking, G's and stuff durring takeoff, but thats just me .

#4: Do we get to ride in the thing that spins around real fast to simulate Positive G's?

#5: Is riding Spaceshot a requirment? Those kind of rides make me queezy. >>>Personal survivor of DROP ZONE at kings Island<<<<

Thanks for the help in answering my stupid questions!

THANK!
Landon

>>>> OPPPs, I prolly should have posted this in the "First Timers" forum.

[Repeat]

Hey Landon,

I can't answer all your questions, because I have never worked ASA, but I went to ASA three times as a camper (as recent as 2003), so I'll try to answer your questions from that experience.

First off, it is never required that you ride any of the simulators - if you don't like Space Shot - don't go on it. You'll have to hang out in the rocket park in the hot sun while your team rides on it, but I can just about guarantee you won't be the only one not riding.

As for the "spinny thing that makes you feel the g-pressure" - yes and no. You will ride the G-Force out in Rocket Park, which lets on about 30-40 people and spins you around and lets you feel pressure (presuming you don't have any of the disqualifying medical conditions). You will not ride on the centrifuge, the two person capsule used to train pilots to handle g-forces, as that's only used at Aviation Challenge.

If you sign up for the pilot track (assuming it hasn't changed much since 2003 in this respect), you'll have three one hour mission in which you'll have a pilot position in Mission Control (flight director or capcom), on the Orbiter (pilot or commander) and in the space station (flight engineer 1 or 2). For the EDM, you and the rest of your teammates in your track will decide who will fly where - MOCR stays for the entire 6 hours, while Station and Orbiter crews switch at the half-way point.

As far as "how real" the EDM is - the missions here are pretty realistic. However, the EDM often has a lot of goofiness and medical anomalies and mishaps. It's probably the least serious of the four missions you'll fly -t he three training missions will be more realistic simply because you'll be going through the missions instead of trying to solve SO many different types of anomalies - at least, that was my experience as a camper. The Enterprise (our ASA orbiter simulator) has a cargo bay attached to the crew compartment where the MSes will complete their EVAs. Because of that, the orbiter does not have the capability of moving during flight, but the loud noise from the blast-off will cause some vibrations.

As for why the space camp website shows only one track available per week, I have three possible thoughts: one, the other track is full up; two, the website is under construction and it's an error; three, they've changed something since I was there, and I have no clue.

Anyway, I hope this helps. Remember I'm speaking (mostly) from my experiences as a camper, and not as a counselor, so some of this information may be out of date (the questions about Space Shot/G-Force are correct).

[landon]

I have another one for ya guys (and gals):

I seen they offer a "Payment Plan" type thing, although they dont say what it is.

Thing I don't understand is this: On the payment plan, do you have to have the tuition paid 100% before going to camp or does the payment plan allow you to go while your still paying for it?

One more thing... at ASA, how much are you treated "Like a kid"? I mean U'm 18, legally an adult and I dont know how I would handle someone telling me what to do every second of the day... I'm use to having me way you know

PS) I finally figured out the "tracks on the website" thing. I was not looking close enough, but in relality, they have different tracks for each session. I'm not 100% sure how to explain it, but I'll try. They had each session listed twice, once for each track. I didn't see this for some reason and thought just one track was available... go to the website if you wanna no more of what I'm talking about. I tried a "direct link" to the page from here, but it wont link to it.

[Space Nerd]

I went to camp twice while i was 18. For one of those trips i was already a college student. You'll be on a fairly structured schedule and the only time you'll be without a counselor will basically be when you're on the floor you sleep on (obviously excluding bathroom breaks). That being said the counselors won't talk to you like you're a child unless you act like one. I enjoyed both trips as a legal adult.

I'll answer #3 from above also as everybody views missions differently. In my opinion the missions are as realisitic as you're going to get without litterally working for NASA. A lot of remodeling has happened since the last time i was there that has made the mission center complex (or tcf if you liked it better old school) even more realistic. As far as rumbling there are a very nice set of speakers including at least one (i've never actually seen the speakers so i don't quite know how many) very large subwoofer. You'll feel liftoff. During your training you'll probably think that it won't be very realistic. However, once you get into a mission and have to deal with anomalies of all different sorts you'll forget that what you're doing isn't real. The counselors are very good at making sure that you're 'immersed' in the experience.

Hope that helps you out a bit.

[MAYTAG]

yeah the missions are realistic but at the same time they are a LOT of fun, just a quick note though, if you want to be the pilot during the EDM learn to do your checklists FAST, the faster while still accurate the better, I've been pilot during the EDM both times i've done it and i loved it

[tennisrox014]

i was commander during our edm, and the pilot definitely had a tough job.

[landon]

Id be happy being either one... Pilot or Commander. Both sound like cool position.

But the thing I dont get is, is it a sure bet that you'll even get to be in the shuttle for the EDM, more less the Pilot or commander?

How are these positions choosen. Is it just a team decision (which dont seem to fair to me, because then team members are trying to beat each other for the same position, or do the concelors decide who does what? Or do you decide what you wanna do (which might conflict with what another person wants to do)???

Thats the one thing that dont make sence to me...

TTYL,
Landon

[SpaceCanada]

For the EDM, you have a 1 in 3 chance of being PLT or CDR on the shuttle. The counsellors choose who will go where, usually (but not always) based on your performances during the week. Otherwise, pilot track trainees will be given very important MOCR roles, or the always fun ISS roles.

Seriously though, as much as you like to fly the shuttle (doesn't everyone?), no matter where you are for the EDM you will have a good time. (Even MOCR, surprisingly enough.) While it may not be piloting the shuttle itself, every role has its importance in the mission. Don't take it personally if you aren't PLT or CDR, and sep up to the position you are given and do it well.

Besides, you could be CDR or PLT and have a mysterious "heart attack" at launch and someone else has to take over your position for the rest of the mission. It's happened...

[landon]

I fell in love with Piloting the shuttle after watching Armageddon and seeing the cool stuff Watts and Sharp got to do

Flight Director would also be pretty cool, although I would prefer to be in the shuttle durring the EDM.

Personally, instead of a mission the space station, they should create a mission to an atroid to blow it up and save the world! Now that would be an interesting and difficule mission.

How big are the teams anyway? Like if you sign up for the Pilot Track, how many other people will be on your team that signed up for the same track? It seems to me you could only have 5 or so Pilots on a team before you run out of places to put them durring the EDM. What all places can pilots be put at? (Flight Director, CAPCOM, Pilot, Commander... ect)

[Space Nerd]

Full teams consist of 18 people i believe. It used to be split up into three groups of six for pilot track, MS track and Payload Specialist track. I think they did away with PS though so they may be a little different. Either way your team should be about 18 people.

The first two times i went to camp i was a pilot. I did pilot in Academy in endeavour (may it rest in peace) and i was commander for the EDM in 2001 with our entire MOCR made up of counselors. Then i switched to MS for a few years. I NEVER wanted to be in MOCR. Then one time i got stuck there and i had a blast! We had so much fun that when i got spots on the shuttle and station the next two years i was seriously tempted to stick with MOCR. The point is that I've never found a mission possition that I didn't enjoy. You may get there and find that flipping switches and ruffling through checklists isn't as fun as you thought it was while being the link between the shuttle and the ground is awesome. Everybody is different but I wouldn't let your fear of not getting to be in the shuttle for the EDM stop you from going. You'll definitly get some time in the sim on one of your missions even if it isn't the EDM.

[MAYTAG]

actually its a 2 in 3 chance of doing it

[SpaceCanada]

Do they still switch flight crews mid-way through the ASA (6 hour) EDM? In youth ASA we swapped the ISS and shuttle crews at the 3 hour mark. The EDM at 8-day adult camp we had the same positions for the whole 24-hour EDM, to keep the realism.

I completely agree with the MOCR stuff. I was heartbroken to be put there for the EDM, but I soon realised just how fun MOCR can be. Counsellors do a good job of keeping us busy with our own set of anomalies too! If anything, being in MOCR is more of a challenge, in a good way. It was awesome!!

Oh... right... being in the shuttle and ISS is awesome too.. The whole camp is great, and the EDM is just a fun way to put it all together.

[Fatal291]

I have Asthma .. am I DQed?

[SpaceCanada]

You will be disqualified for the SCUBA diving, but you will be able to do everything else. You can be the team photographer during the SCUBA diving - they'll appreciate it.

I think the disqualifying medical consitions for G-Force are things like heart conditions, fainting, low/high blood pressure, migranes, and/or pregnancy. I'm not sure about that list though.

Do they still let asthmatics swim in the UAT while the rest of their team is SCUBA diving below?

[Fatal291]

ssso at ASA you DO get to do the actual space ship cockpit sim? cansomeone list all the Sims u do in ASA?

[tennisrox014]

they switched positions half way through my 6 hour mission, but nobody on my team wanted to be commander, so i was both times.

[MAYTAG]

i have done it two different ways once where we spent 3 hours on shuttle and three in the station and another where two hours were spent on station in the middle and 4 hours, 2 in front and 2 in back, on the shuttle, everyone had a role for each shuttle segment, either flight crew or doing experiments, and everyone once again had something to do in station i thought it was really cool that way, mostly because it was only 2 hrs in station which i dont like

[landon]

"ssso at ASA you DO get to do the actual space ship cockpit sim? cansomeone list all the Sims u do in ASA? "

Don't get me wrong, I never been to ASA or any space camp... But depends on which cockpit your talking about. According to the info packet Pilot track trainee's in ASA will get to fly in the Mach II Sims over at Aviation Challenge... Unless you choose the Pilot track w/ scuba, in which case you scuba dive instead.

If you mean the cockpit of the space shuttle... I'm sure if you sign up for the Pilot track, you will at some point be in the cockpit. Otherwise, they shouldn't call it a "Pilot Track".

I have another question similare to this though: At ASA I hrear you have 3, 2 hours missions and one EDM of 6 hours. Are the 2 hour missions also in the same shuttle as the EDM? Or does the EDM utilize a different shuttle cockpit?

[SpaceCanada]

Typically, your 2-hour missions will be in Enterprise, the same (almost) full-size shuttle mock-up used for the EDM. However, in summer months when there are multiple ASA teams, sometimes (rarely) one team will get shifted to another simulator for the 2-hour missions. It's no big deal though, as they still use all the same checklists, buttons, switches, etc.

A counsellor can correct me if I am wrong here. I have always been in Enterprise, but I heard someone else saying they were in Discovery for their missions once.

[Boomerang]

Actually it is 3 one hour missiona and a6 hour edm.atleast when i wen the 1 hour mission consisted of the pilot and comander crrying out an emergence abort once around while the mission specialist carry out an EA and expirements.The station crew its a normal day on orbit and the mission control team is working with both. You use the Enterprise Cockpit a nearly full size shuttle replicafor all the missions.