Favorite spacecamp meal?

EmilyLovesNASA · Post by **EmilyLovesNASA** » Mon Aug 12, 2002 7:40 pm

Richasi, which programs have you been to?

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Mon Aug 12, 2002 7:44 pm

Also when did you go to the programs?

Richasi · Post by **Richasi** » Mon Aug 12, 2002 8:36 pm

I'll let the new signature speak for it. *sigh* It's been way to long. But there ya go

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Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Mon Aug 12, 2002 10:31 pm

Well i'm glad to see their is finally someone here thats older than me and went atleast one time around the first time i did. Now we can both feel old together.

Richasi · Post by **Richasi** » Mon Aug 12, 2002 10:58 pm

Hehehe. See, at least you went back after 1991. By then, I was already into my last stretch. I did think about going to Aviation Challenge in 1993 but that never materialized. Nor did any subsequent trips to SA2 in 1994. The last time I stepped foot on grounds was 1995 - June 16, 1995 to be exact, and I had mixed feelings.

But, I think I'll try and get a session for Adult Advanced Academy next September (2003).

Old... old... timers

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Mon Aug 12, 2002 11:21 pm

Well after i went in 91 i knew i had to go back again atleast 1 more time and i went back again in 93 this time to academy level 1 but my ultimate goal was to be pilot or commander on Enterprise and that was my goal from the days of space camp in 91. Then after 93 i wanted to go to Academy level 2 as soon as possible which for me was 96 unfortunately my grandmother couldnt afford it and i didnt have a job and still really wanted o go so we compromised and i went to Aviation challenge in 96. When i left their i was sure i probably would never come back because of the costs but i was determined to so i got a job and my grandmother offered to pay half but Academy level 2 had changed to Advanced Space Academy. But still finnally in 98 i was the pilot for the EDM on Enterprise. After 7 yearws of waiting i made it.

Richasi · Post by **Richasi** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 6:36 am

Wooohoo! That's cool.

When I went to Camp I wasn't much of anything but a Mission Control person. Back then, they didn't even let us use the MAT, which I was so desperate to ride. By the time I made it to Academy, Level I they were allowing Camp people ride it (which made me mad).

Pilot is an interesting position. I was able to be Commander for my Discovery mission. That was pretty cool.

And for Atlantis mission I was a Space Station Specialist and had to perform an EVA on the Hubble Telescope.

Richasi

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 11:34 am

I remember being suprised at getting to ride the MAT when i went to camp because i remember reading in the brochures at some point thatc camp kids didnt get to. I was glad we did though. Actually At academy Level 1 i was commander for Endeavour and SSO for discovery. Then when i went to ASA our counselor had determined our positions for the 1 hour missions before we got their. I had wanted to be commander but didnt get to. I probably could have for the EDM but i was now more familiar with the pilot job after the 1 hour mission so i stuck to it. At ASA i also got to be Flight Director and Station operator 2 during the 1 hour missions So i got a good variety. Mission specialist was always my second choice for position over thye years but somehow i always managed to get put in the cockpit.

Richasi · Post by **Richasi** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 11:59 am

You know, I don't really know what I'd prefer if I went back. Part of me would want to try and capture the experience of long ago and be a Commander for a mission and do whatever for the second. But I really don't know what I prefer. I'd like to do something different, but meaningful.

Then again, right now I'd settle for a walk along the grounds forget about the mission

Richasi

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 12:42 pm

Well i last walked the grounds in October 98 3 months after i returned from ASA. Although it had been only 3 months a flood of emotions hit me. I was with a tour group of Volunteers from our local space museum. The Space And Rocket Center's currator gave us a VIP tour of the museum, the rocket park and saw some behind the scenes areas like storage rooms full of space suits and the museums archives. That was all great but then we went to the Space Camp Training center. That kind of depressed me because my friends werent their with me. But the best part was i got to give the tour of the training center including taking some of the group into Endeavour and Enterprise. We also visited Habs 1 and 2 it was so cool to tell people about my experiances But it was also sad to be back their again and relive it all.

EmilyLovesNASA · Post by **EmilyLovesNASA** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 4:29 pm

12 and 24 hour EDMs? That sounds really cool!!

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 4:32 pm

Yep academy level 2 use to have either 12 or 24 hour missions depending on what week you went. Now ASA has 6 hour missions

Richasi · Post by **Richasi** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 4:35 pm

I always wondered how I'd handle the 24 hour mission (when I read it in the application guides). I guess I'll never find out now

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 4:40 pm

Well from what i understand during the 24 hour missions you rotated through each area Shuttle, mocr, and iss atleast once i think it was actually twice and you were also allowed to go get a few hours sleep at some point. So toy worked in shifts like the real shuttle crews do.

Richasi · Post by **Richasi** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 4:46 pm

That would be truly awesome. Then again, you had 8 other days to train and make it perfect

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 8:26 pm

I wish they had ket the 24 hour missions and the 8 day program but unfortunately we might never see those come back. The sad thing is the number of days and the length of missions went down but the cost of camp went up.

Richasi · Post by **Richasi** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 8:41 pm

I just ran across a quote from the interim director after Buckbee left. He said that they closed the Level II program due to lack of demand. That the cost of those programs was astronomical and since the demand wasn't there... thus Advanced Academy was born. tis a shame.

Post by **Vincent** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 8:44 pm

spin. pure and simple spin.

Level II sessions were always booked full for the summer months and months in advance..

...what made them scale it back, AFAIK, is the sheer amount of resources it took to have kids go through the Level II program.

I heard figures that for every one Level II kid, it was something like 5 Camp/Academy Kids that they could otherwise take through the program...that number probably isn't exactly right (may have been higher actually), but you get the point...

I think they just looked at how much more revenue they could bring in and ran with it...

...at the same time, I was never unhappy with my ASA experiences...quite the opposite...but a part of me still wants quite badly to know what 8-10 days at Level II would have been like "back in the day!"

Richasi · Post by **Richasi** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 8:50 pm

I always looked at it and said, my god 10 days? Could I stand that? I mean, I loved camp and Academy, but I got so tired of getting up early and going to bed late that I wanted to get the hell out of there. Now I want to get the hell back in there!

But seriously, I dunno if I could have stood 10 days back then. Now it sounds like a dream but my goodness. Still... if anyone has a time machine they're hiding I'll charter a ride!

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Tue Aug 13, 2002 8:54 pm

Oh dont get me wrong i loved asa but id loved to have gone for 8-10 day and have a 12 or 24 hour mission. Heck i wish they could make the camp last all summer that would be so cool.