Yay! Registered for 2009 Adult Camp!

street · Post by **street** » Fri May 29, 2009 9:07 am

pilotgirl21 wrote:You don't need nieces and nephews to bring with you, just grab a random child in the right age group from somewhere! (You know I'm kidding!)

You were kidding?

I'm about to do that as my daughters haven't presented me with grandchildren yet!

toddy71 · Post by **toddy71** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:48 am

T-minus 3 months and counting until I head off to camp....come on mission clock, move faster!

Coincidentally, T-minus 1 month and counting until my first little one arrives! Does anyone know if there are onesies for sale? I would love a "My First Spacesuit" or NASA onesie for her. Hehe. She's gonna be a total geek in training from the day she's born!

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 1:51 pm

Aww, congratulations! They used to (in 2004) have a second space shop just for children and babies. I don't know if it is still there. It was next to the main shop, opposite the guest ticket office. If it is not there, maybe you can make your wee one a stuffed toy and dress it in spacey clothing - I hear they have a 'Build-a-Bear' type thing at the USSRC now.

Otherwise, there is always this:
http://www.thespacestore.com/infantwear.html

Or these:
http://www.thespaceshop.com/rompers.html
http://www.thespaceshop.com/accessories3.html

toddy71 · Post by **toddy71** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 1:59 pm

Haha! Awesome! Thanks, Jennifer!

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 2:46 pm

As i recall the kids shop was still their in 07. Not sure about now. And they do have a build a bear type of thing their with space clothes available.

pilotgirl21 · Post by **pilotgirl21** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 4:19 pm

Congrats on your soon-to-be first born! On another little side note, T minus 16 days until I visit your state of Colorado for the first time!

When I visited in February 2008 the kids shop was still there. One guy on my team back in June 2007 bought a onesie (however you spell it!) for his soon-to-be daughter. Even if it wasn't, there would definitely be clothing for kids in the main gift shop.

toddy71 · Post by **toddy71** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 4:35 pm

Looks like I might go broke buying things for baby.

Haha. I love a space bear. I might have to get that for my wife, haha.

Hey Lisa, what are you going to be doing around here in Colorado?

Also, I remember people saying something about the flight suits...I wanted to preorder mine so it was available when I arrived at camp. Was it that the sizes fit smaller than normal? I am 5'8" and 150lbs...usually a medium to large in most t-shirt sizes...

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:15 pm

The sizes are a little weird. They dont take height and hirth into consideration seperately like military ones do. So say with me i'm an XL girth wise but the length is a little short on me. If you get the suit when you preorder and pick it up the day you arrive you will get to try them on there to find the right size. Unfortunately these suits arent sized like military flight suits whey take both into consideration so it makes sizing a little tougher. Just try on a few when you arrive and find the one thats closest.

Benji · Post by **Benji** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 4:22 pm

pilotgirl21 wrote:When I visited in February 2008 the kids shop was still there. One guy on my team back in June 2007 bought a onesie (however you spell it!) for his soon-to-be daughter. Even if it wasn't, there would definitely be clothing for kids in the main gift shop.

The baby shop is, sadly, no longer there and the other gift shops don't carry nearly as much baby stuff. In fact, it seems like they scaled back the selection of merchandise and it's pretty disappointing.

toddy71 · Post by **toddy71** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:20 am

Holy cow, camp is about a month away! Time has flown the past month or so. Our baby girl was born on August 14th. I was a proud daddy when we got sit together to watch the shuttle take off last week! Well, she was having a bottle, but, she was there.

I want to thank everyone on Hab1 for the great answers to all my newbie questions. I may have a few more questions in the next few weeks, but looking forward to camp. (and not too forward to leaving my wife and baby girl.)

Todd.

pilotgirl21 · Post by **pilotgirl21** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:40 pm

Congrats on your daughter Todd! I guess that you're getting really excited about going to camp now! You'll have fun.

Thanks for the info on Denver. Sorry, when I visited Colorado in July, I wasn't able to get together. We got in late on Tuesday night, just in time for a hailstorm. Then my aunt and uncle took us to the Rocky Mountain National Park on Wednesday, where it was freezing cold (I think the high didn't even reach 60 in Denver that day). And on Thursday, we visited the Dinosaur Ridge and were going to visit Red Rocks, but ran out of time. I had to catch my flight home. I'll probably be back again sometime though. I have a free place to stay.

toddy71 · Post by **toddy71** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:12 pm

Ah, no worries! I am glad you got to see some things. It's been the strangest summer here. It's been record lows, and we are usually 20F below normal temps. At least it's not blazing hot!

pilotgirl21 wrote:Congrats on your daughter Todd! I guess that you're getting really excited about going to camp now! You'll have fun.

Thanks for the info on Denver. Sorry, when I visited Colorado in July, I wasn't able to get together. We got in late on Tuesday night, just in time for a hailstorm. Then my aunt and uncle took us to the Rocky Mountain National Park on Wednesday, where it was freezing cold (I think the high didn't even reach 60 in Denver that day). And on Thursday, we visited the Dinosaur Ridge and were going to visit Red Rocks, but ran out of time. I had to catch my flight home. I'll probably be back again sometime though. I have a free place to stay.

toddy71 · Post by **toddy71** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 9:43 am

15 days (not that I am counting) until I leave for camp!! I am super excited!

I went ahead and paid for the flight suit, and the clothing package online (since who knows when I'll be back, so might as well go all out!) I also hooked up my room at the Marriott ($90 w/tax).

So now I am starting to think about packing. It's the 8 day ASA, so I want to make sure I bring enough clothes, but I sure don't want to overpack. Since I am getting the clothing package, that already gives me a pair of shorts, sweats, sweatshirt, and t-shirt. Plus getting the flight suit. It's going to be mid-October in Alabama, so don't know what that will be like. Does everyone wear their flight suit with something underneath? I don't want to be too geeky, but hey, I think I will be in good company.

I hear it gets cold in the HAB at night. I was thinking of wearing the sweats from the clothing package, and I hear to ask for an extra blanket. (Or should I bring my own? Pillow?)

So what would you bring to 8 Day ASA?

I am not sure how possible it will be, but I might be making Facebook updates throughout the week if anyone is interested.

gt0163c · Post by **gt0163c** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 10:19 am

toddy71 wrote:So what would you bring to 8 Day ASA?

You'll definitely want clothes (shorts and t-shirt) to wear under the flight suit. You'll need to wear your flight suit for all missions as well as various other times during the week and there's not really an option to do laundry. So, even with wearing stuff underneath, they might get a bit ripe by week's end....especially if the orange "mission" flight suits are being used that week. Also, since, most of the time, you aren't wearing the flight suits all day, it's helpful to be able to easily take it off and put it on. If you're scheduled to do EVAs during the mission, wear lightweight clothing, performance/wicking stuff if you can get it. The space suits are incredibly hot, even with the ice packs and fans. Make sure you drink water before and after EVAs so as not to get dehydrated.

I'm not sure where you're from, but you can probably count on weather in Alabama to be "summer-like" in October. Warm to hot most days. Probably rather humid. The locals will call it fall. If you're from the north, just look at them funny and don't say anything...they don't know any better (said the Texan who grew up in Michigan). Not a bad idea to toss in a light jacket though, particularly one that doubles as a rain coat. The rain can get pretty intense. Otherwise, I'd stick with shorts and t-shirts mostly. If you tend to get cold easily, having the sweat shirt or a fleece won't be a bad idea. You'll be inside a lot of the time and it's all air conditioned.

The Hab will either be cold or very cold. You could bring your own blanket, but if you're flying, better just to ask for an extra. Again, depending on your cold tolerance, the extra blanket may be enough. I wore flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt and was fine every night but one...when I pulled on my fleece. Everyone agreed that that night was colder than the rest. No one was sure why.

If you're a picky eater, taking along some snacks isn't a bad idea. The food is edible but slightly below average cafeteria food...the adults get an extra option for food, generally an unfried version of whatever the kids are eating and with a higher possibility of real vegetables. However, if you like salsa with your eggs, you'll have to ask for it special and it will take a few tries to get the kitchen staff to understand what you're asking for (and it will be mild Pace stuff). Also, if you like good tea, take that with you. They have hot water but only lousy tea. No idea how the coffee is.

You also may want a pack of some sort to carry around your gear. They may give you a bag when you check in (we got messenger bags). But I prefer a backpack. I kept my camera, extra batteries, water bottle, log book, flight suit and some other personal items with me.

One other thing I took with me was a small "mission emergency" kit. Having had some experience with various anomalies, I knew it might be useful to have some specific gear with me. I had a flashlight, bandana (doubles as a sling in case of medical emergency), whistle (in space, no one can hear you scream, but no one said anything about whistling), a sewing kit, some string, a swiss army knife (in addition to the one I always carry in my pocket), duct tape and a few other little random things. When I ended in MOCR during EDM, I passed my kit off to the crew in the shuttle. The flashlight was used during a power outage and they almost broke out the string and duct tape to subdue a sick crew member. Plus, that's just useful stuff to have on hand anyway.

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:10 am

Yes to everything gt0163c wrote!

The people at the ASA 8-day programme will likely have been there before, and are well-seasoned Space Campers. They bring all kinds of crazy stuff, so don't fret too much if you forget something - someone else will have a spare. (As in, Mike will bring medical texts and a shuttle sim on his computer... Carolyn will have a whole array of survival stuff... it's just what they do...) Some of them may even have a car there so they can bring you to the store if you need to buy anything.

You probably won't have to carry your flight suit around with you anywhere - they always gave us 15 minutes to run to the HAB to get ours, but if you are at the Marriott, you may not have that luxury.

Also, you will be issued a flight suit to borrow for the week. Even if you have your own, get the spare - it's nice to have two, especially when you are wearing it off and on for 8 days.

Yes, the weather will be hot, at least by my (Canadian) standards. I wore shorts every day but a lot of team mates wore trousers in the so-called chilly mornings.

Oh, and breakfast starts 30-40 minutes before it really does. Meaning, most of the adults gather in the mess hall bright and early for coffee or whatever. They discuss everything from mission plans to briefings or general banter. In other words, show up early.

I didn't always wear shorts under my flight suit if I knew I was going to be wearing it for an extended amount of time. It got too hot. I always wore a t-shirt though; you kind of have to. And, if I wasn't wearing shorts I always had a pair in my bag if I ever needed to change without going back to the HAB.

Bring some extra pens and pencils and bring them with you everywhere. Sharpies are good. Bring a notepad or binder with you everywhere too. (We were given binders, you will probably get one too, but still bring an extra notepad to keep in your pocket.) You never know when you will need to take notes, get an autograph, or whatever. It also comes in handy during the EDM - remember that the people in mission control can see the cameras - written notes are essential when other communication lines go down.

Bring a water bottle with you everywhere. Keep it full. You'll need it. I had to run across the training centre floor with water when someone said they were about to pass out in one of the EVA suits. Nice. So yes, bring water... and even Gatorade/electrolyte powder if it's hot out.

Take loads of photos. Bring lots of film and/or memory. You'll use it.

And, finally, say hello to all the veterans from Jennifer, call sign "Braids" from Canada. Those would be Mike, Carol, Carolyn, Bill, etc. I miss them all!

toddy71 · Post by **toddy71** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:46 pm

Woohoo! Only 5 days until camp begins!

My birthday was this past weekend, and my geeky wife had a brilliant cake designed for my birthday and impending Space Camp adventure...

Ha, I even got my name on a Shuttle! How lucky is that?!

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:49 pm

I love that cake i had one similar many years ago as a kid back in the hayday of the shuttle program. Five days thats when if gets tough your so close and they seem to drag on.

SpaceCanada · Post by **SpaceCanada** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:51 pm

That's a brilliant cake! And only 5 days!! You'll be at Space Camp in no time.

pilotgirl21 · Post by **pilotgirl21** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:09 am

toddy71 wrote:Woohoo! Only 5 days until camp begins!

My birthday was this past weekend, and my geeky wife had a brilliant cake designed for my birthday and impending Space Camp adventure...

My birthday was this past weekend too! But I didn't get a space shuttle cake from my geeky fellow Space Camp boyfriend!

Benji · Post by **Benji** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:28 pm

That is an awesome looking cake!

My wife brought a rocket ship cookie cake into my office for my birthday, I love cookie cake! I had to scrape the icing off, though, it was super rich.