Peter Dollar, 10, endures a wild ride on the multi-axis machine.
By Michelle Ku
Trainees from across the country came to Sunnyvale's back yard last week to walk on the moon. The grade-schoolers also flew two-hour space shuttle missions, designed rockets, and assembled satellites and struts for a space station.
These tasks, some conducted in zero-gravity, were completed in simulations at Space Camp California, which opened last week at Moffett Federal Airfield.
One hundred forty-four campers were welcomed as the inaugural class of graduates from Space Camp California, the first U.S. Space Camp facility on the West Coast.
"You're the first class," said Ed Jaego, director of Space Camp California. "You'll be the only people who can say that they're the first class of Space Camp California. This is your chance this week to really see what space is about."
Walter M. "Wally" Schirra Jr., one of the original seven Mercury astronauts in 1959 and a former Gemini and Apollo astronaut, joined officials from the U.S. Space Camp Foundation, the city of Mountain View and NASA/Ames Research Center for the July 14 opening of Space Camp California.
"Fellow space travelers, welcome aboard," Schirra said.
During the weeklong astronaut training program, the students learn about space and the space program, from working at computer screens in mission control to climbing aboard space-flight simulators. The program also includes off-site activities, such as visits to Lockheed Martin, Great America theme park and the NASA/Ames wind tunnel, the world's largest.
The Space Camp California facility includes five astronaut-training simulators, a mission control mock-up, and a full-scale space shuttle flight deck and mid-deck. Together, the equipment is used to simulate an actual shuttle mission from launch to landing.
In addition to the history of the space program, campers learn about aerodynamics, space life sciences and propulsion, as well as the building of teamwork, decision-making skills, leadership skills, self-esteem and confidence.
The concept for Space Camp California was originally developed eight years ago, but plans to make it a reality were stalled until six months ago.
"It's hard to believe [that six months ago] this was a parking lot," said Ralph Faravelli, mayor of Mountain View. "Just look at it now. Where there used to be used and new cars, there is a shuttle simulator and dormitories."
The new 10,000-square-foot facility, located adjacent to Moffett Federal Airfield's main gate, was built in four and a half months using a $1.6 million loan from the city of Mountain View.
"We are thrilled to have this unique educational opportunity here in Mountain View," Faravelli said. "These young trainees will become the nation's leaders in the 21st century."
NASA is providing the location for the facility for the next five years.
"In many ways, it is in NASA's interest to have a space camp here. Who will NASA draw from in the future? What resource will we have except for our youth," said Ken Munechika, director of Moffett Federal Airfield. "Space Camp California will certainly fill this void in our region."
The students who composed the first class of campers at Space Camp California were not specifically selected. They registered for the program by calling the national 800 number.
"They were offered the option of registering for Space Camp at the Alabama and Florida sites as well as this one," said Julie Spier, Space Camp California's operations manager. "But when the locals learned that a Space Camp was going to open in their own back yard, many of them registered. Nine of the 144 campers flew in from other states; the rest are from all over California."
Since 1982, when the original Space Camp was opened in Huntsville, Ala., more than 210,000 trainees have graduated from the program. Nearly 17,000 of those graduates were from California.
Through the U.S. Space Camp Foundation, a nonprofit organization, students from all over the United States have the opportunity to attend the six-day, five-night astronaut training camp, geared toward promoting the study of mathematics and science through hands-on activities.
Space Camp California will be open year-round with weeklong astronaut training programs geared toward fourth- through sixth-graders.
Camp sessions range from $550 to $650, depending on the time of year. Parent/child sessions are also available.
Along with Space Camp Alabama and Space Camp Florida (located in Titusville, Fla., near the Kennedy Space Center), Space Camp California is the third United States site opened by the U.S. Space Camp Foundation.
There are also Space Camp facilities in Japan, Belgium and Canada.
To register for Space Camp California, call (800) 63-SPACE. For more information about the program, call the Space Camp California office at (415) 603-8902.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 24, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.