15 year old Jordan Gaynor of Erin District High School has returned to earth after a week at Space Camp held at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville Alabama where she was the only Canadian student among students from Germany, Hong Kong, England, the U.S. as well as 24 Scholarship students from Libya .
Jordan was part of the Advanced Space Academy which is known as the most challenging experience of mental, emotional and physical astronaut training for ages 15 to 18
During her week long stay she slept in a Space Habitat with her days beginning at. 0600 continuing until 10:30 in the evening
Her training included experiments in physics, chemistry and space science with practical simulations in Tumble and spin in the Multi-Axis Trainer; Float on Air in the 5DF Simulator; Walk like Apollo astronauts in the 1/6 Gravity Chair Experience a world without friction in the MMU Simulator where she was strapped into a chair that is suspended by high-pressure air allowing for forward, backward, and side-to-side movement that pitches and rolls. She also did a zip line and was suspended 40’ in the air. She ended her week with a final exam, a 6 hour flight mission as the mission pilot. During the mission flight command gave her many challenges forcing her to make decisions that would either preserve the safety of her crew and mission or end in disaster, Jordan successfully used her training and safely returned her crew home. She earned a University of Alabama Science credit and an unforgettable experience. Astronaut Robert “Hoot” Gibson who commanded four of the five Space Shuttle missions he flew for NASA, including the first docking of a shuttle with the Russian space station Mir., greeted the students and presented them with graduation certificates along with His Excellency Libyan Ambassador Ali Suleiman Aujali, who presented the students with international friendship pins.
Space Camp has become known as one of the premier math/science/technology educational programs in the United States. Camps are available for fourth grade through high school-age students, as well as for adults and educators. For more info search, www.spacecamp.com
