2003 School Magazine

FACULTIES

S CIE N C E

U S SPACE TRIP

ADVANCED: being beyond others in progress or ideas SPACE: the part of the universe beyond the earth's atmosphere. ACADEMY: a scientific association On their own they may not mean much to the everyday person, but when You combine them and add a group of teenage girls You get a week of fun, learning, and some very sexy space suits. When the eleven girls who attended the Us Advanced Space Academy arrived at the Huntsville complex we were all amazed at the size of our "hab'tat" for the next week, Ithe main living area was set up like a space stationI. Our American companions immediately greeted us and made us feel right at home before the eleven girls were divided up into the three groups which attended the Space Academy that week. From that moment. the rest of the week was filled with enthralling tutorials as well as "space" activities, games and rides and much more. This only stopped for the eight hours of much appreciated sleep we gained each night. As all good things must come to an end, on Friday 4 July our group of Grammar girls sadly farewelled our new American friends and instructors and with many promises of sending the unpopular Vegemite Iwhich apparently tasted like "hard or a rtistic

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land and water survival skills. These skills mastered throug h ' ntrod uctory were briefings and their practical applications. Activities included sliding down a 30m "Zipline" imitating a parachute splash down; surviving a crash at sea in the "He10 Dunker" helicopter; a ride in "The Fuge", which simulates the same high "g" experienced by real-life jet fighter pilots; as well as a total of approximately seven hours spent in state-of-the-art flight simulators. Our skills were tested through the various missions in which we partook; the best of which was undoubtedly the "escape and evasion" mission. This took place in the surrounding bush on our last night at camp. As a combination of all the principles we had learned, it consisted of dressing up in authentic army attire and orienteering ourselves on a mission using patrolling methods. Upon accomplishment of this mission, we manoeuvred ourselves through 1.5km of dry riverbeds on our stomachs, using only our elbows and knees. Us: large body of land situated between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

On Friday 27 June at 1100 hours, twenty- two girls accompanied by Dr Stephens and Ms Hall embarked on the 16-hour flight from Brisbane to Los Angeles via Auckland. Arriving in LA in the morning, the day was spent touring many of the famous sights the city has to offer, such as Beverley Hills, Rodeo Drive. Hollywood and Venice Beach, before returning to our hotel rooms to sleep off the 48-hour Friday we had been through! The dreaded 500am wake-up call the next morning meant it was time to catch our next flight. The destination was the Us Space and Rocket Centre in Huntsville, A1abama where we were to spend six of the most fun-filled and unforgettable days of our lives. The group was separated into two camps based on the programme each had chosen: Aviation Challenge Mach 111 or Advanced Space Academy. Resembling an enjoyable American boot camp, Aviation C allenge proved to be a truly remarkable experience. Here, the fundamentals of flying were learned as well as basic flight manoeuvres, escape and evasion tactics, and a combination of flight,

SOY sauce"), we graduated from both programmes claiming many of the awards. it was very hard to leave our new

friends but we weren't too disheartened, with another week and a half of travelling around the Us ahead of us.