DAY 1
Rise and shine, it's time to go to Space Camp! The better portion of the day was spent flying to Huntsville. We spent the evening having dinner with Vincent at a local Mexican place. Great food and great company! Then, because Rocket Park at night is breathtaking, we wandered around taking photos of everything lit up. (Good thing we did, as they didn't turn on the flood lights every night.)
DAY 2
We spent the morning exploring the USSRC, inside and out. Most of our time was spent in the Davidson Center, taking in all we could about the early space years. We also did the rock climbing wall, Space Shot, and the black holes exhibit. Our fellow team mates began arriving after lunch and we hung around with them for the afternoon, all going out for dinner that night. We discovered hush puppies and their deliciousness!
DAY 3
We had some special team activities this day, all day, that included a private tour, special guests, and a stop at the Von Braun Observatory. It was an educational and exciting day, and only the beginning of what was yet to come.
DAY 4
Space Camp begins! Today's themes were team building and Aviation Challenge. We started with low ropes at Area 51, which may or may not have involved bending the rules a bit. The Area 51 counsellors were really great at challenging our team, providing blindfolds to add difficulty to some challenges. The afternoon was spent at Aviation Challenge in both the Mach 2 simulators and the centrifuge. I reaffirmed that I have no desire to become a pilot. My husband was in his glory though, picking up the controls and flying around like he actually knew how to fly. The evening was back at Aviation Challenge, in the Mach 3 sims this time for a mission. Can't say much about how that went because I had an ambulance ride and hospital visit that night. Details aside, the Huntsville paramedics and staff at Huntsville Hospital are fantastic! Nothing but kind words to say about them.
DAY 5
Today's themes: Shuttles and SCUBA! But first, a return to Area 51 for the climbing wall and zip line. A few people on our team climbed the wall blindfolded, others were sighted, and a few opted to climb the ladder instead. The zip line was a lot of fun! We had two one-hour shuttle missions later in the day, for which I was assigned as an FE on the ISS and an MS on the shuttle. After supper we had some time to plan for the EDM, which was pretty intense, and a few people went SCUBA diving. I was disqualified from SCUBA but I was there to support my husband. Now, as many people on our team had been to the UAT several times and knew Dana quite well, they were given some extra challenges to complete on their dive. The task was difficult but both pairs completed their task successfully. Meanwhile, it was my husband's first ever SCUBA experience: he made it to the bottom and was able to do a few things down there like play with the 100 pound ball. Oh, and since my husband was assigned PLT for the EDM, and have never been in the orbiter sim before, two of our experienced team members took him into the Atlantis sim (along with a ghost) to show him around and familiarise him with the position, switches, and procedures. I cannot thank them enough for doing so!
DAY 6
Ten hour EDM! Whilst I would never choose to be Flight Director, it was the position I was assigned. I was nervous and scared because I didn't know what to do. Again, some experienced team mates helped me get started and off we went. I soon realised that I like the Flight Director position. Even when I didn't have answers and didn't know what to do, everyone worked together to make a successful mission. Well, except jettisoning the RMS - that call broke my heart, being Canadian and all. After dinner we began training for the Orion missions. Wow, what an eventful (and exhausting) day!
DAY 7
Today's themes: Orion and the Moon! Yesterday's preparations lead us directly into a one-hour Orion mission, where we simulated the Apollo 10 mission of launching, orbiting the Moon, docking with the lunar lander, and returning to Earth. Despite some minor computer glitches, this mission went reasonably well. I like to attribute the magical docking to the Altair (lunar lander) to an abundance of pixie dust. Next up was our 2.5 hour Orion mission: launch, dock with the lander, land on the Moon, switch lunar crews, redock with the lander, and return to Earth. I was CDR for my first time ever and I thought the Orion missions were well thought out. Again, pixie dust came into play here and there with some magical dockings and time jumps. The Orion system still has a few glitches but we managed to have a successful mission. Our original Orion/Lunar EDM was supposed to be a 5-hour mission. Due to limitations in the software, we turned it into two 2.5-hour missions with plots and EVAs designed by the ghosts. This was a little disappointing to some, as they were hoping for a better computer system and a full 5-hour mission, but we persevered. The ghosts added some really good plots, they created some new EVAs, and the final lunar mission was the best of them. Kudos to the camp staff for working around the computer glitches to make an interesting and fun mission for everyone.
DAY 8
Finally, a day to rest the mind. After all those back to back missions, my brain was getting tired. The day was supposed to start with a tour of MSFC (for the Americans, anyway) but due to the government shut down everyone stayed on site and we did some other things. The new person in charge of archives gave us a presentation about some USSRC travelling exhibits and brought some items for us to see, such as von Braun's original German-English dictionary, a helmet from the film Moonraker (also seen in the background of Space Warriors), some of von Braun's music compositions, and a few pieces of art. We then had some time in the AstroTrek so a few of us could use the MAT and MMU simulators. After lunch we had time to explore the museum (some opted for a nap), and our final session at Area 51 - the Pamper Pole! I really think there is no better team building activity than the Pamper Pole. There's something about it that brings everyone together. Again, the staff were great at pushing our team to new levels, with blindfolds for those who wanted them. I must say, I thought climbing the Pamper Pole blindfolded was much easier than doing it sighted. Others thought opposite. Certainly a highlight of the week, one of many. After dinner we had a movie night: The Dish. I kept meaning to see this but never did, so I'm happy we had the opportunity to watch it. Great film! And, as one person on our team was truly blind, I did the descriptive audio for her throughout the film. Just imagine watching a film without actually seeing it... a new perspective for sure.
DAY 9
Really, the last day of camp? Most of us were in denial. The day started with a panel discussion with some managers - our comments on what went right, what went wrong, and suggestions for the future. My husband was presented with his callsign, something normally on the Space Camp restricted list, but they let him have it: 'Goose', short for 'Canadian Goose'. After that, it was graduation. Our little ceremony was held on the lunar surface, so to speak, between Orion and Rising Star. Everyone received their certificates, wings, and the Commander's Cup award, and my husband received the Right Stuff Award. I may have been a little teary eyed wen I heard that - he truly deserved it! Slowly, one by one, the team disappeared, off to the airport or on the road home. A few of us made our way over to the Davidson Center for an hour, where we met one of the Lunar Rover engineers - fascinating guy! Soon, the whole facility emptied out - every team left - and only a handful of family camp participants arrived. Needless to say, after such an eventful week, the USSRC felt eerily quiet and lonely. We wandered around a bit, spent some time on the lunar landing, lunar docking, and orbiter landing simulators, and tucked in early for bed.
DAY 10
That's it, it's home time! We went for breakfast with Vincent at a really cute diner in Huntsville. Really, it was like something out of a movie! We slowly meandered around the USSRC one last time until it was time to head to the airport. We had a pretty quiet trip home.
And now... since my husband had such a wonderful time, we're already planning our next trip to Space Camp, hopefully in 2015. We've watched all three Space Camp films in two days, it's been the only topic of discussion since we've returned, and it has stirred up a new fascination in space for my husband. Overall, an excellent week with fantastic people!
