CALYPS³O 2008 Journal
Indiana School for the Deaf
Indian Creek High School

Day 2, Wednesday, June 4, 2008


Caroline Stone (ICHS)      

The day started off with a bang when we went to the IMAX theater and watched a 3-D movie about the International Space Station, which I had known next to nothing about prior to today. The views from space were breathtaking, but some parts of life in the station look almost impossible. I can't believe that parts of the space station were made in many countries across the world, but they mesh together so well. And they stay up there so long --- months on end! We went to many different areas today at the Kennedy Space Center. I've got to say, I never really knew that it was a wildlife preserve, as well. I am told that there are usually alligators everywhere that roam freely around. There are many endangered species and threatened species there as well. We really only saw birds and a turtle though. We saw a gopher tortoise and I don't think that I've ever seen a turtle that close! It was funny, just ignoring all of us like it was too cool to care about what we thought. What I found really memorable was the dinner with the astronaut, Sam Gemar. He was really interesting and covered every aspect, and I mean EVERY ASPECT, of life onboard a shuttle. We toured many different places and boarded a tour bus that took us into "restricted" areas. Here we watched some movies where the actual astronauts spoke, which I found fascinating. It was really different to hear a first-person point of view. In a huge building, there was a Saturn V rocket, which is supposed to be the largest and most complex rocket ever made. That's kind of odd to say, though, because doesn't that mean that the modern technology is more simple? The Saturn V rocket was the biggest man-made thing I've ever seen though. It was like a skyscraper on its side. We saw the different areas where rockets and shuttles have been launched at various times. They were across a causeway, which was really pretty. These areas were HUGE; the scale was incredible. Did you know that the shuttles were transported by crawlers that are several hundred feet wide? Their top speed is only eight-tenths of a mile per hour (according to the tour guide, but 1 mph according to the official booklet), but they have incredible strength. They were built quite a long time ago, but they have never been replaced. It was incredible just how large they are. There was a shuttle launch here for a Japanese science lab on Saturday. It's kind of sad that we missed it by just that short of a time. A last funny note about today --- did you know that Sam Martin both loves hot sauce and hates its effects? She downed about half a cup of "smokin" barbeque sauce in just a few minutes. I applaud her and her bravery.

Casey Analco (ISD)  

Today, the rising sunshine brightened the morning with good attitude. We ate breakfast at the hotel, which provided good morning food and drinks. We left the hotel and went to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The moment we parked, adrenaline energy boosted my excitement for the rest of the day! After purchasing tickets, we went to KSC's IMAX theater. We watched the Space Station 3D movie about the International Space Station (ISS), from the past to the present. I can see how it changed through the years it has been assembled. The movie is very interesting! When the show was over, we looked at a gallery which showed the designs of many different models of aircraft that had been tested in a wind tunnel.The gallery showed the models of the SR 71 (AKA Blackbird), space shuttles, better wing designs, and the Bell X-1 (the plane that Chris Yeager first accomplished breaking the sound barrier.) After enjoying viewing the gallery, we went outside to the Rocket Garden, where many historic rockets are displayed. Signs told the stories of each of their accomplishments. The rockets and capsules in the Rocket Garden were the Atlas Agena, Mercury Atlas, Mercury Redstone, Delta, Juno I, Juno II, Saturn 1B, Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. Also, there was a service arm that was connected to rockets, and it is thirty stories tall! The blazing sun proved its power, so we went into an air conditioned building, the Early Space Exploration Museum. The museum's displays had information about all of the history of the Space Age. One thing I didn't realize was how old the KSC is! According to what I learned at Space Camp, I know that there are two mission control centers, but I didn't know that KSC controlled all first 7 manned mission (all Mercury missions and first Gemini Mission.) All the launches are regulated in here KSC, but the moment it launches, the mission control center in Houston takes over the whole mission. We enjoyed the history of the Space Race, but our stomachs were calling us for lunchtime! We dined with an astronaut! His name is Sam Gemar and he flew in three different shuttle missions. The first mission was confidential due to the Department of Defense, and the last two were ISS shuttle missions. One thing I liked most about him was that we have the same interest in engineering. We definitely enjoyed the lunch. After lunch, we took a group picture with Sam, then we went on the bus tour to the Launching Center (LC) A & B, Vehicle Assembly Building (where NASA built the all rockets and shuttles), and the Apollo/Saturn V Center. The Apollo/Saturn V Center is my favorite place! In Huntsville, AL, it only had a model of the Saturn V, but in here KSC, it showed the real rocket! I am amazed at the massive size and the marvelous power in the big engines! It launched at the speed of 5,000 miles per second, which is two times faster than a bullet fired from a rifle. When the tour was over, we rode in the vans to Sonny's barbeque restaurant. The food tasted good! Wow I learned a lot today!

    

Watching the 3D IMAX movie about the International Space Station and looking at wind tunnel models

Saturn V Rocket displayed in Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center

    

Indian Creek High School students sit in an Apollo Capsule and ISD students pretend to be with NASA's first seven astronauts

Students with Space Shuttle Astronaut Sam Gemar

Students near the 39A Space Shuttle Launch Pad

Students at the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building)

Students are dwarfed beneath the massive engines of a Saturn V Rocket

Messages from Home:

Hi! I'm Robin Bratton, librarian at Indian Creek High School. I've enjoyed reading your first entry. So, did the alligator taste like chicken? I've never had the opportunity to taste it! Are there any students who are first-time Florida visitors? If so, I'm sure they are amazed by the visual contrast of their surroundings compared to good ol' central Indiana. I really enjoyed the headless student picture! Keep 'em coming! Please give a special hello to my Creek friends! ---- Robin Bratton, Librarian, Indian Creek High School


I will look forward to reading the daily entries of the CALYPS3O students! What a terrific opportunity! --- Sandy Stockton
(retired 4th grade teacher - ICIS)


Hi! My name is Erin Davis and I teach at ICHS. I am so excited to follow your progress through Florida! I've never realized that we could do this before! Have a great trip! ---- Erin


What an adventure not only to see the wonderful world of sea life but to taste it too! The alligator and frog legs must be tasty, a lot of protein I assume. Keep up the daily journal writing, we love to read about the fun stuff, exciting things and especially all the trivia you are learning about. --- Gary and Carol Analco (remember the parents you left at home)


Hi, Ken and I are enjoying the updates of all your activities. Enjoy and have fun! ----- Ken and Kelli Phillips :)