FEATURES
GREAT EXPERIENCES AT NASA AND IN SAN FRANCISCO
83 BOYS ENJOY A REMARKABLE USA EXPEDITION During the Term 3 holidays , 83 boys from the Senior School ,
split into two groups doing the same journey but in a reverse order , had the privilege of embarking on a remarkable expedition to NASA and the Kennedy Space Centre to witness the marvels of human space exploration , as well as San Francisco with its Exploratorium and Alcatraz ! Here are two testimonies from this epic voyage :
' As part of Group A , our journey commenced in Orlando in Florida with a visit to Universal Studios , where we relaxed and were entertained following our 30-hour flight . Here students went on roller-coasters , enjoyed the warm Florida sunshine and picked up a few souvenirs along the way !
The next phase of the trip took us to the Kennedy Space Centre for camp . Highlights included an engaging address from former astronaut , John Fabian , who shared personal experiences and insights into space exploration from his two missions , seeing a real Saturn V rocket , and the astronaut training program , which simulated the experience of all aspects of being an astronaut .
The pinnacle of our NASA experience was the awe-inspiring moment when we witnessed an actual SpaceX rocket launch from the beach outside our hotel on Cocoa Beach . During our stay ,
IMAGES ON THIS PAGE AND TOP OF PAGE 11 : STUDENTS AT THE NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE DURING THE ASTRONAUT TRAINING EXPERIENCE
we were also very fortunate to listen to Jane Hodges , the former Public Affairs Director for NASA , giving us an informative insight into the wonders of working for NASA .
After we finished our camp at Kennedy , it was time for coding with Mission Robotics . We spent two days developing knowledge and skills using Arduino , immersing ourselves in the fun and frustrating experience of coding a Mars rover . This demonstrated how difficult and complex an astronaut ’ s job can be .
Next we headed to San Francisco , where we visited the infamous prison island Alcatraz , which held famous inmates such as Al Capone and George ‘ Machine Gun ’ Kelly . On our last day we saw the huge USS Hornet , a former US aircraft carrier that operated from November 1943 to 1970 .
Special thanks go to all the teachers and staff who made this amazing and memorable trip possible .' NICHOLAS RALLIS – YEAR 9
12 Great Scot