NASA space camp students over the moon

While many children dream of being astronauts when they grow up, few ever get the chance to actually experience it.

But a group of students from St Luke’s College in Karratha are about to.

Eighteen students and two teachers have spent this week at a “space camp” at a NASA space centre in the US, trialling life as astronauts as they take part in training exercises, engineering challenges and simulated space missions.

Activities include astronaut training on a one-sixth gravity chair, building and launching a rocket, flying jet aircraft simulators and taking part in a Mars mission simulation.

St Luke’s College science teacher Carly Kinch called the camp “the trip of a lifetime” and said it would give students a close insight into the work of NASA astronauts.

“The simulated missions on exact replicas of real space shuttles give students a real sense of what it’s like to be an astronaut, and the current focus on Mars missions allows them to connect what they’re doing with NASA’s current space exploration focus,” she said.

“The US Space and Rocket Centre on the site, as well as the Kennedy Space Centre in Orlando, teach the students so much about the past, present and future of space exploration in an exciting, innovative and creative way.”

It is the second time St Luke’s has sent a group to the Advanced Space Academy camp, the first time being in 2015.

The group will be at the camp at the US Space and Rocket Centre in Huntsville, Alabama, for five days from September 23.

They will then head to Orlando, Florida and San Francisco to explore more scientific destinations including the Kennedy Space Centre, Exploratorium and National Ignition Facility as well as other tourist sites.