First Memory at space camp

[MisplacedTexan]

Hate to drag up an old thread, but hey, I just found this site and had to chime in!

My first memory: The hab was new, and still smelled like it. Not all of us got to stay in it, some kids had to go to a hotel room down the way a bit. I thought to myself that those little thin sheets they gave us wouldn't nearly be warm enough over Christmas break.. and the other guys in my room wouldn't stop talking (even in the dark) about waking up sooo early at whatever time it was. I told them I would wake them up at 5:00am if they didn't shut up. Funny, it was nice and quiet after that.

[tkdbjj]

You guys are making me feel old! I attended Space Camp Huntsville in August 1987. I imagine that makes me one of the more "senior" members of this forum.

What an amazing week for an 11-year-old! I made the trip by car with my friend and fellow-camper and his family. We went from Pennsylvania to Huntsville over two days, with an overnight stop in Knoxville, Tennessee. We arrived in Huntsville around mid-afternoon. I remember getting excited when I first spotted Saturn I peeking over the trees. If I remember correctly, Saturn V was displayed lengthwise in stages. The SRBs and fuel tank had not yet been added to the Pathfinder shuttle.

We checked in and were given ringer tees and grayish visors--which we were told to NEVER remove. We wandered for a while before meeting Earl, another member of Venus who had flown in from California. Eventually, we hooked up with the rest of the group. I think we worked a bit on our model rockets before dinner, which that night was supplied by McDonalds. We were given two hamburgers, a hash brown, and an apple pie. I don't remember the post-dinner activity, but they showed us "Moonraker," a James Bond flick, that night in the dorm.

I won't ever forget the counselors delighting in waking us up every night with "linen parties." If anyone made any noise, we were all awakened and made to strip and re-sheet our beds within two minutes. That was not fun!

I visited Huntsville in 2001 and noticed the Lunar Odyssey and another ride (Mission to Mars?) had been taken out. Overall, the facilities looked sharp, though.

I work as a writer now and have always thought it would be fascinating to hunt down and interview the people from my group. We're basically a group of strangers who were an intimate part of each other's lives for a week. That's pretty amazing. The odds are against it, but should any Venus '87 campers read this, send me a PM!

[MisplacedTexan]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing as I was reading. I imagine we're going to start seeing a lot more things making us feel old in the coming years as well!

[gt0163c]

I imagine we're going to start seeing a lot more things making us feel old in the coming years as well!

I'm 32 and a volunteer with the high school kids at my church. Most of the time, the age difference doesn't phase me, but every now and then it hits me like a ton of bricks. Playing "Catch Phrase" with them on the "history" category is an exercise in frustration. Realizing that most of them weren't born when the Challenger exploded got to me a while back. And, one of my favorites from a few years ago: One of the girls said that Titanic was "the biggest movie ever"...when she was in third grade. I was about to graduate from college. But, that's okay. They're great kids and I love them and love hanging out with them. Keeps me from getting old and stuffy. Although when I get deemed "the responsible one" by the parent of some of the kids who are now in college when we do a weekend camping trip, it leads me to start a marshmellow fight or some such activity...kinda out of rebellion.

[Boomerang]

Well atleast i don't feel so old at 28 anymore. There are a few of us who went to space camp in the early 90s or late 80s on here but not many. And having been there in the early 90s and more recently i can say alot has changed some for the better some not.

As for kids making you feel old i was giving some kids a tour here at the museum where i work a few years ago and was showing them the Liberty Bell 7 capsle when it was here on tour. I was trying to relate it to something they ,ight remember and mentioned John Glenn going back to space in 1998. One kid raised his hand and said "I was born in 1998" I just wanted to scream .