The HabForum

I dont know about everyone else, but in my many trips to ASA I thought of several things that I would like to see added to space camp.

1. Caffeine avalible in the mornigns (either coffee or soda).
2. More missions.
3. Useful interesting lectures.

What does everyone else have to add?

Well i'd like to see the more missions also and id like to see ASA go back to being 8-10 days long like Space academy Level 2 was. Cafeine in the morning would also be good although the last year i was there a shower in the morning always woke me up. As for the lectures i never really found most of them boring. Although there were a few that were. I'd also like to see them go back to the larger books they use to give out. The old books had alot of good information and were better organised then the new ones.

Well, if you plan ahead, not having a large source of caffeine in the cafeteria can easily be forgotten...all you need is this!

Yes or the caffeine breath mints.

Oh one other thing i'd like to see them bring back along with the 8-10 day sessions is the 12 and 24 hour EDM's. I think it would be so cool to have such a long mission. I talked to someone who went to a session of Academy level 2 where they had a 24 hour EDM. She said thy roated through the shuttle ISS and Mocr and they were also given some time to go back to the hab and get some sleep. I think it would be alot of fun.

That would be really cool. To have a 24 hour mission. It would be way more realistic and allow you to see how you deal with problems at 1 am. I can see why they stopped though. You would have to have the 12 hour just to prepare for the 24 hour. That would be really cool.

Actually when they had the 12 or 24 hour mission sessions i believe the 3 short missions were 2 hours. But with a 12 or 24 hour mission and 4 ASA teams or so you would need to have an 8-10 day session to get everyone in.

[quote="ISSpaceGirl"]I1. Caffeine avalible in the mornigns (either coffee or soda).
quote]
yes i need my morning caffeine

Vincent wrote:Well, if you plan ahead, not having a large source of caffeine in the cafeteria can easily be forgotten...all you need is this!

vincent thats really really scarry

Or you can butter up your councilor and they might let you get "them" coffee at the store. Our councilor was nice. She let us get 'her' coffee and then drink it as long as we paid. But, it would still be nice not to have to sneak it. Hey they have coke in space, why not at space camp.

Actually they only tried coke and pepsi in space once. It wasnt really successful. The containers didnt keep ythe drinks from going flat and since the shuttle doesnt have refrigeration it was hot as well.

not pepsi...Coke paid a bunch of money on R&D for it...if Pepsi made it up there, it would certainly at least be like when they send M&M's up..."Candy coated chocolates" or something...

Ok well i thought i had read they both had sent them up in specialy designed containers to see if they would be drinkable. Maybe it was just both companies did research to see whetehr they could design the a container and coke won. Although the container didnt work.

I'd like to see them bring back the real flying lessons for the oldest groups in AC and ASA. When my cousin was a counselor (95 and later), she loved the flying part. I'd also go to a one week adult AC if they added it. I'm not too far from Huntsville, but not close enough just to go for a weekend.
Also, I know you kids like all the free time, but I'd tighten the scheduling up so you always had something you *could* be doing if you wanted to. Like last year we were given a choice sometimes if we wanted to do something, but I also thought we had way too much free time. I mean, how many times can you visit the one gift shop they had open or ride Space Shot. For $900 I want a little more instruction for my money.

And what I'd really change....I'd expand space camp to last a whole summer or even a whole year (or four). Can you say Hogwarts? That would be my ideal.....a high school/university with hands on experience in the space program....when you graduated you'd have a great chance at getting a job with NASA. And if they ever made it cheaper for visitors to go up, that could be the school's final exam.

Yes, the "You can Fly" and "Air Warriors" programs should be brought back...I have absolutely no idea why they no longer offer them...


As for a literal "Space Academy," wow! This would be a pretty cool thing, but it would make me quite bitter and angry that it wasn't around when I could've gone!!!

At the same time, I think it would be a very cool thing to have, and they could probably set up a partnership with UAH to do it...I dunno though...That would be a very, very, very ambitious undertaking...

Well, Vincent, maybe we wouldn't be too old if they ever were to do a university-type program....people get multiple college degrees all the time. I'd say my English degree plus something space-related would be pretty good for working in NASA's PR department. <g> Or can't you see the need for an advertising department if they ever open up space to the casual tourist? What fun that would be to design TV ads and posters for a trip to the ISS.... "Take an out-of-this-world vacation."

They stoped the 'you can fly' for insurance reasons. It is insane to pay for that type of insurance and the licenesed flight instructors they would have to keep on staff. One accident and there ass would be grass. I mean it. But still, it would be really cool.

As for the coke thing, they have coke on the shuttle. NASA went to both coke and pepsi and said who ever designed them soda that could go in space could have their symbol in the shuttle. Coke said sure, gave them a flat, warm type of soda and that was that. They had to make it flat because the carbination in the astronauts stumaches made them sick. Carbination only works with gravity. Thus, coke is the only name brand on the shuttle. Also, M&M's were originally designed by the military and called candy covered chocolated. M&M's was a spin off. Not that neone probably cares, but its some usless trivia for you.

Well if coke is still available on the shuttle i doubt many astronauts would want hot flat soda. I have several copies of the available foods the crews can choose from and i dont think coke is a regular part of the menu. As for the insurance thing with the you can fly i think its instructors were from a flight school and not regular space camp counselors. I'm pretty sure the Air Warriors was. I was actually at AC the last year they did thatand knew a couple of guys on another team who did it. They loved the Air Warrior program i wish i could have gone but it just cost too much money.