PES students visit Kansas Cosmosphere
Peabody Elementary School fifth graders were invited to participate in an Astronaut Training Experience. The students traveled Nov. 8 to the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson. The Cosmosphere funded the pilot workshop which included a lunch for all attendees.
The students spent time in a classroom leaning about astronaut safety, training, and requirements. An experiment using liquid oxygen and a marshmallow garnered many "oohs and ahs!" Air pressure also was demonstrated with an aluminum can, excessive heat, and a jar of cold water.
The students viewed "The International Space Station" in the IMAX Theatre. This was a new experience for many of them.
Following lunch the students participated in five training stations. Three of these were flight simulators. While aboard the Falcon, the students had to listen carefully to directions in order to launch, control, and land the space shuttle. A stress simulator was used to test students' reaction time and ability to stay calm in difficult situations. The centrifuge was ridden to demonstrate G-force experienced by astronauts during lift-off.
A fourth station was a tour of the Hall of Space Museum, which houses artifacts about individuals who have made a significant impact on space exploration. The final station was space food. Students chose snacks to vacuum seal in a bag. This removed excess air and moisture allowing them to save space while in the shuttle.
A visit to the gift shop to purchase souvenirs culminated the day.
