Haylie Anderson of Grand Marais joined a team of 13 Girl Scouts at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama for SPACE CAMP®. Above: Haylie (4th from left) with her “crew” outside the International Space Station (ISS) simulator. Left: One of the challenges was building a rocket that could protect its passenger (an egg) when fired 10-40 feet in the air.
Haylie Anderson of Grand Marais, recently attended SPACE CAMP® at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, NASA’s official Visitor Information Center for Marshall Space Flight Center. The weeklong educational program promotes science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), while training students and adults with hands-on activities and missions based on teamwork, leadership and decision-making.
Just getting to SPACE CAMP®, which Haylie found through Girl Scouts, was an adventure. This was her first time flying alone and she had to change planes three times. It was a 12-hour travel day both ways.
Once there, Haylie was assigned to a team of 13 Girl Scouts from 12 different states. It was nice to be with a group of Girl Scouts, Haylie said, noting that there was a connection right away.
Haylie’s team was part of the Advanced Academy Program, which is designed for high school students with a particular interest in science and aerospace. The trainees spent the week on a simulated Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Once aboard the ISS, Haylie’s “crew” participated in experiments and successfully completed an extra-vehicular activity (EVA), or space walk.
That meant donning the space suits that astronauts wear. That was especially tough in the Alabama heat. “They had to put ice packs in the suits,” said Haylie.
SPACE CAMP® participants also participated in some earthbound experiments. “We had to build a rocket out of certain materials that they gave us,” explained Haylie. “This rocket would be fired anywhere between 10 to 40 feet in the air. Inside the rocket is an egg and our mission was to protect the egg like it was a person. I built this rocket with two of my team members.
“None of us thought the egg would survive. Our rocket shot around 30 feet in the air. Our hopes were not up. However, when we went to look, there wasn’t even a crack in our egg!” she said.
Trainees receive general science college credits for participating in the program, which is great for Haylie, who is already taking some college courses. She hopes to have a career in aviation.
Haylie and crew returned to Earth in time to hear retired Space Shuttle Astronaut Dottie Metcalf- Lindenburger speak at their graduation.
Asked what was her favorite part of SPACE CAMP®, Haylie said, “The best thing was making friends from different states and even from other countries that I can still connect with.”
And to anyone interested in participating in an adventure like SPACE CAMP®, Haylie said, “Just do it! It is a once in a lifetime experience.”
Haylie is the daughter of Rob and Lorrie Svadlenka of Grand Marais and Mike and Becky Anderson of Duluth.
SPACE CAMP®, operates year-round in Huntsville, Alabama, and uses astronaut training techniques to engage trainees in real-world applications of STEM subjects. Students sleep in quarters designed to resemble the ISS and train in simulators like those used by NASA. Nearly 700,000 trainees have graduated from SPACE CAMP®, since its opening in Huntsville in 1982, including STS-131 astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger. Last year, children and teachers from all 50 states and 64 international locations attended Space Camp. Interested in training like an astronaut? Visit www.spacecamp.com or call 1-800-63 SPACE.
Leave a Reply