Train Like an Astronaut at the Kennedy Space Center
Excerpt from the book Love and Rocket Attacks from the Teresa the Traveler series of books.
Johnson Space Center
Once I completed my training, I had a few days to kill before my deployment so, being the super tourist that I am, I decided to spend a day at the Johnson Space Center. The Johnson Space Center is home to the Mission Control Center where the Space Shuttle missions are monitored and directed from launch (in Florida) to landing. The center occupies more than 1600 acres and employs more than 14,000 people, including contractors and civil servants. This is where astronauts are trained and the Space Shuttle program is managed by a combined effort of 16 nations. The Center houses more than 800 pounds of lunar rocks and soil collected during the Apollo program. Scientists and engineers study human adaptation to space and develop the technologies that allow humans to explore the solar system. I rented a car and navigated my way through the busy highway system, accidentally ending up in the car pool lane, which turned out to be a good thing because it allowed me to zip through the traffic in record time. I arrived at the center 30 minutes before it opened. In fact, mine was the first car in the parking lot.
As I waited, I stared at the center and my heart began to race. I would love to visit space one day and for the first time in my life, it occurred to me that my dream could become a reality. Perhaps one day I will write a book about my adventures in space – the possibilities are as endless as the Universe. When I noticed a line up starting to form, I stepped out of the vehicle and into a blast of hot, humid Houston air. Thank God for air-conditioning.
Once inside I bought a ticket for the tram tour so I could visit the astronaut training facilities. In the line-up I ran into some of my Macedonian coworkers and they invited me to hang with them. We checked out a rocket ship complete with a control room containing hundreds of buttons, gauges and switches before watching two films called Starship Gallery (which traces the progression of the space program and displayed space travel artifacts and moon rocks) and Blast Off (which gave the audience the experience of what seven million pounds of thrust feels like when a space shuttle launches).
Johnson Space Center
Once I completed my training, I had a few days to kill before my deployment so, being the super tourist that I am, I decided to spend a day at the Johnson Space Center. The Johnson Space Center is home to the Mission Control Center where the Space Shuttle missions are monitored and directed from launch (in Florida) to landing. The center occupies more than 1600 acres and employs more than 14,000 people, including contractors and civil servants. This is where astronauts are trained and the Space Shuttle program is managed by a combined effort of 16 nations. The Center houses more than 800 pounds of lunar rocks and soil collected during the Apollo program. Scientists and engineers study human adaptation to space and develop the technologies that allow humans to explore the solar system. I rented a car and navigated my way through the busy highway system, accidentally ending up in the car pool lane, which turned out to be a good thing because it allowed me to zip through the traffic in record time. I arrived at the center 30 minutes before it opened. In fact, mine was the first car in the parking lot.
As I waited, I stared at the center and my heart began to race. I would love to visit space one day and for the first time in my life, it occurred to me that my dream could become a reality. Perhaps one day I will write a book about my adventures in space – the possibilities are as endless as the Universe. When I noticed a line up starting to form, I stepped out of the vehicle and into a blast of hot, humid Houston air. Thank God for air-conditioning.
Once inside I bought a ticket for the tram tour so I could visit the astronaut training facilities. In the line-up I ran into some of my Macedonian coworkers and they invited me to hang with them. We checked out a rocket ship complete with a control room containing hundreds of buttons, gauges and switches before watching two films called Starship Gallery (which traces the progression of the space program and displayed space travel artifacts and moon rocks) and Blast Off (which gave the audience the experience of what seven million pounds of thrust feels like when a space shuttle launches).
|
Canadarm
After the movies, we hopped onto a tram which brought us to the huge training facility which housed a model of the Space Station and the mock Canadarm. This was where astronauts trained for their space shuttle missions. They use this facility to familiarize themselves with the space station and the equipment used in space. The hands-on training helps them develop muscle memory making it easier to accomplish their tasks once in orbit. Unfortunately we were only allowed to view the facility from a second floor Plexiglas-encased walkway. I was dying to go inside the modules and play astronaut, but that would’ve got me kicked out of the center thus ruining my chances of ever working for NASA. I settled for a picture of me in front of the mock Canadarm. I beamed with pride at my country’s contribution to the space program. Maybe, when I am done working in Afghanistan, I’ll apply with NASA. I would love to work amongst the world’s finest scientists and engineers. And if they don’t hire me, THEN I can sneak into the space center and play astronaut without worrying about messing up my chance of getting a job. I love win/win situations! When the tour was over, we were herded back onto the tram and returned to the tourist portion of the facility where I bought a small blue shooter glass that read, “It’s not rocket science…oh ya…yes it is!”. By the end of the tour, that useless space in my head was filled with useless space facts. I finally understood the complexities of taking a shower, using the toilet, eating and sleeping in space. I also knew how space attire had changed over the years and what kind of training people must undergo before traveling in space. Mission accomplished! |
|
|
|
|
