As the days go by at Advanced Space Academy, a new day keeps getting better than the last. Today is what I would call a “Track Day” which means that each of the mission tracks (Pilots, Mission Specialists, & Payload Specialists) group up together to work on the field. The assignment for the Mission Specialists was Engineering Applications & Payload Operations at the classroom. Our mission was to create a safety device for a very delicate cargo.This cargo was to land on a planet safely. We created a box to support our very delicate cargo, which was an egg. Then, we took the box to Space Habitat 1 and dropped it from the third floor. Mission Specialist Kristen Tebo did the honors by dropping our cargo o the planet surface. Unfortunately, the cargo was destroyed when it landed.
Next, we took our group photo in front of a mock-up of the Apollo Lunar Module. It was so honorable. It really felt so honorable that it felt like we were the astronauts on that famous mission. Next, we visit the famous “AREA 51”. I thought that AREA 51 was going to be an alien laboratory. In reality, this AREA 51 was a leadership training obstacle course. The experience was very excellent except for one thing. During the second mission, one of the 2x8 boards slammed down & hit my right thumb. Don’t worry, I didn’t damaged my whole thumb, just bruised the nail.
Our second track event was the UAT or the Underwater Astronaut Trainer. This was the first time that I learned how to SCUBA. We were training to go all the way down to the bottom of a 24-foot depth pool to conduct underwater exercises. Unfortunately, because of some sinus pressure, I couldn’t clear my ears at around 16 feet. So, I just did some scuba at around 16 feet.
In the last track mission, we designed a rover at the VR MARS Rover Center. My team was called “The Delta Flyers”, my co-pilot in this project is fellow Mission Specialist Allison Stewart. The cool thing was that after we designed the rover, we test it in virtual reality.
Tonight, the Von Braun Team worked on the Alpha Mission. All of the trainees have their first duties in the Space Station, the Space Shuttle Enterprise, or in Mission Control. After the Alpha, Bravo, & Charlie Missions, we are trained in the three areas for the final decision of the EDM or the Extended Duration Mission. In the Alpha Mission, I was the propulsion officer in Mission Control. My job was to watch the systems of the space shuttle to make sure that they were nominal. The one-hour mission went by so quickly, I was so happy that this mission was over. It was a little boring. It was like watching the computer screen for an hour doing nothing, but it was also exciting playing an important role in the mission. Overall, being a propulsion officer didn’t have enough action for me.
