Grammar Gazette- Issue 1, 2014

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TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!

AUTHOR Dr Sally Stephens Director of Science

AS PART OF BRISBANE GIRLS Grammar’s biennial US Space Trip, in June 2013, 19 students from Years 10 to 12 travelled with three teachers to Huntsville, Alabama to attend the US Space and Rocket Centre’s residential programme, commonly known as Space Camp. There the students participated in one of two week-long programmes based on age-appropriateness — Aviation Challenge: Mach III (AC) or Advanced Space Academy (ASA). AC is a programme designed to test a trainee’s ability to work independently and as a member of a naval aviation squadron. The culmination of AC training requires students to use their understanding of aeronautics and survival skills to plan and execute a rescue mission. ASA is a hands-on training programme designed to help students experience some of the mental, emotional and physical demands astronauts face during their voyages. Our students train as shuttle pilots or mission specialists. A stated goal of the US Space and Rocket Center is to provide a memorable adventure in a safe and stimulating environment. I am sure that any student who has completed the astronaut training or fighter pilot training sessions at the Center would agree that this goal is well and truly realised. The programmes are also designed to help students develop skills that should remain with them long after the camp session is over. The key focus of each programme is teamwork, but they also aim to infuse students with self-confidence, independence and a sense of responsibility while developing their problem-solving and decision-making capacities.

Mietta Dunglison (11G) shares her recent experiences at Space Camp as a member of the AC team, the Jolly Rogers. Teamwork was a highly-valued goal of the Aviation Challenge —Mach III programme and extremely important for our team, the Jolly Rogers. We learnt to work together in a variety of activities such as the pole jump, where one person climbed atop a pole, with all our other team members attached down the bottom supporting them when they jumped off. We also relied on each other during the flight simulation missions, which included ground bombings and dogfighting. However, the culmination of our training was the SEAL OPS mission and this was where our ability to work as a team was really put to the test. The SEAL OPS mission was a multistep operation conducted at night, where the two Mach III aviation teams raced each other to neutralise a threat to national security. We had to gather information, rescue a political leader and secure important documents in his possession all while evading the enemy. We relied highly on each other, with each member of our team having very specific and crucial roles, such as point, scout team alpha, or crossing bearers. As the night drew on, many of my team members were captured but, as a last attempt, another team member and I worked together to distract the enemy. This led ultimately to the release of all our captured team members. It was a fantastic mission, and all the Jolly Rogers had to be working at their full capacity to ensure the safety of our team.

GRAMMAR GAZETTE