ASTRONAUTS FOR A DAY!!

 On November 5, our sixth, seventh and eighth grade students had the opportunity to live the life of NASA Mission Control Specialists, not by reading a book or watching a video, but rather through first-hand experience with simulated space missions at Wheeling Jesuit University’s Challenger Learning Center in Wheeling, West Virginia.

           
From navigating a safe landing operation to solving a life-threatening humidity problem, students truly “walked in the shoes” of NASA engineers for a day filled with imagination, creativity, and discovery.

           
The Center offered two simulated experiences for students: working in a space station while in orbit and working with Mission Control, an operational hub modeled after NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

           
During the two hour mission, students served on one of eight teams. Through the power of imagination and the excitement of discovery, students assumed the roles of NASA engineers and scientists to monitor astronaut vital signs, analyze test results, and solve problems all to ensure a successful space mission.

           
Our students are among the more than 8000 students who have participated in these state-of-the-art programs in a $500,000 space simulator at the Challenger Learning Center each year. The Center is part of a national network of centers established by the Challenger Center for Space Science in memory of the crew of the Challenger Space Shuttle.

           
The students had a fun-filled learning experience and were excited and thrilled to be astronauts for a day!