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Teachers Training for the Stars

The shuttle commander is dealing with an anomaly with one of the fuel tanks. On his right, his pilot is communicating rapidly with mission control. The two mission specialists in back quietly observe the front cockpit. Their part of the mission depends on their team member’s success.

On the ground, controllers at the Mission Control Center (MCC) are scrambling, flipping through thick binders to locate procedures to fix the issue. But the woman occupying the seat of capsule communicator is calm and cool as she relays directions to the shuttle that is floating 200 miles above them in low earth orbit. Another monitor in MCC shows the laboratory aboard the International Space Station. In a few minutes, MCC will not only have to contend with the shuttle’s anomaly, but a spider from one of the science experiments is about to get loose on the ISS! The crew will have to rush to find that spider before it lays eggs or in other ways jeopardizes operations in a zero gravity environment.

No, this isn’t a scene from a movie screenplay but a simulation taking place very much on the ground. The participants are not astronauts in training, but middle school teachers who have been selected to participate in The Boeing Company’s “Boeing Educators to SPACE CAMP®” program. Each year, Boeing partners with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center to sponsor educators to go to their Space Camp facility in Huntsville, Ala. This year marks the 19th anniversary of Boeing Educators to SPACE CAMP®. Boeing sponsored more than 100 teachers from 13 countries to participate in the week-long course where teachers receive training in science and math experiments to teach their students, and perform exercises in personal and leadership development.

"Sponsoring educators to attend Space Camp each year is one of the many ways Boeing is investing in the future workforce," said Joyce Walters, director of education and workforce initiatives for Boeing Global Corporate Citizenship. "Since 1992, Space Camp has touched more than 800 teachers who have inspired an estimated 30,000-plus students worldwide.”

Many of those teachers report sharing Space Camp information and experiences with other teachers in their school or district and rank Boeing Educators to Space Camp as very effective in providing tools to teach all content areas, particularly math and science.

The Right Stuff
Floating in space, the mission specialists set about their task examining the heat shield tiles on the space shuttle. They read tile by tile to report their condition to MCC. Sweat drips down the mission specialist’s face. Finally she opens her mask to let some air in and chuckles at her predicament.

Hanging six feet off the ground, strapped to nothing but a harness that suspends them, the two teachers don’t have to fear the cold vacuum of space, but rather the warm weather of Huntsville. Wearing a white jumpsuit, boots and a helmet can get stuffy even with the ice pack strapped to their chests. Most of the teachers participating in space camp had no idea that they would spend a week wall climbing, simulating moon walking or being spun ad nauseam in a human gyroscope when they were accepted to the program.

“I was just expecting to take back experiments and increase my knowledge of science to share with students, everything else has gone beyond any expectations I’ve had,” said eighth grade science teacher Don Becker. Becker, who initially had a fear of heights, credits his team with his success in climbing a 35-foot high pole and jumping off. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” he said. “I’m overwhelmed by the friends and team building I gained from this program.”

In addition to their own personal development, a number of teachers praised the lessons they will be able to bring back to their students. “Space Camp will help me be more exciting when teaching science to my students, said Dawn Tilton, a middle school teacher in Camden, N.J. “Students don’t understand that they too can do space, they too can be an engineer, now I hope I can help them see that.” Becker has an important life lesson for his students that he gained from his experience. “It’s about overcoming fears and having patience and perseverance. School may be hard, but don’t give up, it’s all about moving forward,” he said.

Seeing Success
Next year the Boeing Educators to SPACE CAMP® will celebrate its 20th anniversary and the company anticipates bringing even more educators to the program. For Boeing, the program has been a huge success. “We continually measure program effectiveness so teachers can continue to generate excitement and build knowledge in math, science and technology with students in their classroom,” said Walters. “The program also is an excellent way to ensure the long-term success of our business and is good for our communities."

For more information about the Boeing Educators to SPACE CAMP® program visit: www.spacecamp.com/educators/boeing/.

AIA Source: daphne.dador[at]aia-aerospace.org