Young Astronauts FLying High After Bumpy Start

This year’s three migrant student astronauts got to experience first-hand how real astronauts must adapt to changes in plans. The students were sky high when they returned from Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, but the start of their weeklong adventure was kind of bumpy.

Chaperone Thom Romero, director of the Migrant Education Regional Office (MERO) at ESD 105 in Yakima, met Sergio Marquez and his family at the Yakima Airport, departing for Seattle around 5 a.m. They met Angel Lopez and his father at the SeaTac International Airport, then rushed to a distant concourse to meet Guillermo Espinosa, who was flying in from Wenatchee.

"We got there short of breath only to discover he was not on the flight, which was delayed because of weather. Then they failed to put him on the next flight, which made us late and miss our 9:45 a.m. flight to Detroit," describes Mr. Romero. "After some negotiating, I was able to get Guillermo into Seattle so we could all meet a flight going to Dallas at noon."

"Luckily, we flew into Dallas with just enough time to reach our connecting flight to Huntsville and arrived in Alabama at 10 p.m. a bit haggard. The boys, tired from the day’s journey, were still a bit nervous, and Guillermo’s luggage did not arrive until later the next day," he says, "but the boys’ Space Academy evening leader finally arrived and whisked them off to the Space Center."

For eighth-grade boys, the long day was an adventure.

"We spent all day in airports and airplanes," says Sergio. When they finally got to bed, they wondered "what would happen to us next."

"When we got to Space Camp, they gave us some dinner and then took us to our beds. We could finally rest!" Guillermo says.

"Almost everyone was asleep, and soon we did the same," Angel adds.

During the week Mr. Romero had lunch or dinner with the boys from time to time to see how they were managing. At first they all answered "somewhat reservedly" that they were doing OK.

"Later that week, their reservations were turned to excitement, as they had made friendships with students from all around the country. They were also surprised to run into a group of students from Costa Rica," says Mr. Romero.

Angel from Mt. Vernon, Guillermo from Peshastin, and Sergio from Wapato were sent by the state’s Migrant Education Program to Space Camp for the five-day program filled with such astronaut training as simulated Space Shuttle missions, space station docking and moon walks; training simulators providing temporary weightlessness, multi-G-force blastoffs and jet backpack movement in space; rocket building and launches; scientific experiments; 3-D movies; and lectures on space exploration.

"I have always dreamed of going to the moon and looking back to Earth to see how it looks," Guillermo says. "At Space Camp the best experience was the missions we had. We had two missions for the week. Half of the group of 16 was in the orbiter and the other half was in Mission Control. We would then do whatever they do when they launch the shuttle, while they orbit earth, and while they are coming back to earth."

He also enjoyed "…the simulators we rode. We got to ride the MMU, a chair they use in outer space; the 1/6 gravity chair, a chair that lets you jump like if you were on the moon; the MAT, and a chair that spun you around as if you were accidentally spinning in space. Astronauts would be able to fix stuff even though they were spinning."

And he thought viewing through a large telescope "was cool because we got to see Jupiter and the four biggest moons. I have always wanted to see through a telescope and see other planets, and I finally got the chance to," Guillermo says.

Angel says his best experience was that he "got to meet people from different parts of this country and from around the world," plus the space travel simulations. "I got to be a pilot, and being a pilot is very hard work."

Sergio’s best experience was the second of his two missions. "The missions were used to teach us the procedures astronauts to go through during launch and re-entry. During this mission I got to be CAPCOM, who is the only person in mission control who is allowed to speak to the orbiter," he explains. "I really feel I contributed to our team’s success in achieving the best average score in the missions throughout the camp."

"The highlight of the trip" for Mr. Romero "was I actually got to witness the boys participate in one of their flight missions. Their group had the highest team ranking on their mission for the entire week," he confirms. "The boys did an excellent job of representing our Migrant Education Program. I was very proud of them, as well should be the entire MEP program."

By the end of the week, the three young men said it was one of the best things they had ever experienced.

"The experience was very fun and amazing," says Sergio. "It was a once-in-a-life-time opportunity, and I’m glad I got to be part of this Space Academy. It gives you a chance to participate in things some kids only dream of doing."

"It was a one-of-a-kind experience," Angel says. "You learn so much, like how the space exploration began and about Russian space history. This was a fun learning experience. Everyone can have fun and learn new things."

He says the experience "will be unforgettable because it let me do stuff I thought I would never get to do" and "taught me stuff I never knew."

"The experience was fun!" Guillermo adds. "It was fun because I got to meet a lot of people from other places that I probably would have never met if it weren’t for this experience."

Mr. Romero says the families were all eager and excited about this opportunity for their sons.

"Sergio, Angel and Guillermo all are very responsible and eager learners," he says. "Before the trip I asked each of them why they chose to submit an application. Each, for various reasons, chose to submit an application at the urging of one of their teachers. They were grateful they were selected."

The three urge other migrant students to submit applications next year.

Each of the three MEROs in the state help recruit migrant students to apply for the program, which is coordinated by Romero’s Migrant Education Regional Office at Educational Service District 105.