HUNTSVILLE, Ala.-- For the 13th year, the Air Space and Missile Defense Association (ASMDA) provided 16 scholarships to children to attend a one-week Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center here. The ASMDA Space Camp Scholarship committee reviewed applicants and selected winners based on numerous factors, including a hand-written essay and academic performance.
The scholarships are open to any child age nine-11 whose parent or parents are currently assigned to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (SMDC/ARSTRAT), the Missiles and Space Program Executive Office (PEO-MS), U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Missile Systems Intelligence Center (MSIC), or the Missile Defense Agency (MDA).
This year's winners were: William Beck, Reagan Buhl, Alex Burnley, Tyler Cowan, Matthew Illingworth, Bethaney Jackson, Arianne Okonski, Hailei Roy, Rebekah Solee, Andrew Stemple, Sydney Svehlak, Gabriel Torres, Joseph Valley, Kevin Vieyra, DeeDee Webb and Tyreese White.
As part of their Space Camp experience, these scholarship recipients were recognized at an ASMDA-sponsored luncheon on Wednesday, July 1, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Galaxy Dining Hall. At this event, Dr. Steve Messervy, the deputy to the Commander for Research, Development & Acquisition at SMDC/ARSTRAT, spoke to encourage the children to learn as much as possible while enjoying their experience. The campers were also greeted by Mayor Tommy Battle and had the opportunity to hear from former astronaut Dr. Jan Davis about her experiences in space and otherwise.
Davis encouraged the scholarship recipients to dream big and work hard to make their dreams come true.
"Don't worry if other people think you are crazy," she said. "Just believe in yourself and anything is possible."
Besides the luncheon, the children had the opportunity Wednesday to participate in two simulation experiences. On the Multi-Axis Trainer (MAT), kids were strapped to a chair that spun in multiple directions and is similar to a training tool that allows astronauts to practice recovery methods in the instance that their Extra-Vehicular Activities go array.
"That was so cool," proclaimed Arianne Okonski, age nine and a 5th grader at Hampton Cove Elementary in Huntsville, Ala. "I didn't feel sick or anything; it was just fun!"
The simulation, though it looks like it would make a person queasy, doesn't tend to do so because of the way in which it spins.
"You don't get dizzy because you don't ever spin in the same direction twice in a row," said Andrew Stemple, age 10 and from Madison, Ala. "It keeps fluid from building in your ears and you keep your center of gravity," added William Beck, 12 (Beck turned 12 after receiving the award), also of Madison, Ala.
"I definitely want to be an astronaut when I grow up," said Alex Burnley, 10, from Kwajalein Atoll. "I like science and I like the feeling of hurling through space," he said after trying the MAT simulator.
"I definitely like studying science too. I used to like it a little, but now I like it a lot...I think I want to be an astrophysicist," said Reagan Buhl, age nine and the daughter of the Kwajalein range commander. Reagan enjoyed her experience so much that she laid out future plans to attend other camps in the next few years. Her mother Patricia Buhl, who served as a chaperone on this trip, would like to send her son back as well.
"What a fabulous experience for these kids," she commented.
The other simulation the campers participated in on Wednesday was the 1/6 chair, an apparatus that simulates walking on the moon, which possesses 1/6 of the gravity as Earth. The kids performed three different methods of travel-the slow motion jog, the bunny hop, and the side-to-side hop. They had to travel fairly slowly and not jump too high due to the heavy weight of the PLSS (portable life support system) attached to their backs, but they enjoyed it nonetheless.
The children seemed to learn so many new things while also have fun. "It's been neat to learn how astronauts work on different pieces [of the shuttle] when they are in space," said Matthew Illingworth, nine, from Nebraska.
"I liked seeing how we started years back from nothing really and have come so far with all these changes in time," said Tyreese White, 11, of Georgia, referencing the leaps and bounds of technology advancement the space program has made in recent decades. Such observations by the children are an important part of why ASMDA sponsors this event.
"It is a main mission of ASMDA to educate children on space and missile defense," said Dr. Rodney Robertson, the organization's president. "Bringing children here from all over the world, giving them an opportunity to learn and do things they otherwise may not have, is exactly what we want. Hopefully this experience encourages the kids to study science and work on new technologies in their own futures."
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