Program explores wonders of outer space

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers HOUSTON, WE'RE HAVING FUN-Oaks Christian High School seventh-grade students J.J. Sprague, left, and Chris O'Conner, both 12, examine a space module on display as a part of the school's space symposium. The event featured NASA astronaut gear, a Mars rover and retired mission control panels. Dennis Tito, the first space tourist to travel into outer space, was the keynote speaker at Oaks Christian School's third annual "In Pursuit of Space" symposium.

Although students didn't crack a book or sit in a conventional classroom, they experienced a full day of learning, from delving into the history of space exploration to the future of space programs.

To kick off the event, students were treated to an IMAX video montage of movies and television shows about space. The clips ranged from "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Apollo 13" and "The Right Stuff" to "Alien," "Space Balls" and "Muppets in Space."

Tito, a former rocket scientist turned business mogul-he is the CEO of Wilshire Associates-fulfilled a lifelong dream when he traveled aboard a Russian spacecraft to the International Space Station in 2001.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers SPACE COWBOY-Citizen explorer Dennis Tito made history by becoming America's first space tourist when he paid to travel in space. Launching from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Tito served as a crew member of an eight-day Russian Soyuz taxi mission to the International Space Station. Tito said he waited 40 years to realize his dream and had actually set a personal goal for space travel when he was 17. He told students that he was "an unlikely candidate" since he had never trained as a pilot and, at 60 years old, was already three years past the average life span of Russian men.

Tito convinced the Russian cosmonauts that he was up for the flight and underwent eight months of intense physical training.

"It was a real humbling experience," Tito said, explaining that it was difficult to shift from being a "boss" to a "recruit."

The training, he said, was like "boot camp" because the Russians had to be certain that Tito would not panic and would cooperate under any circumstances.

When Tito first viewed Earth from space, he told students, "It was the most thrilling part of my life."

Tito showed students his personal video of the experience, pointing out Earth vistas from space-the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, Western Africa, Baja California, the Pacific Ocean, the Rocky Mountains, Western China, deserts and the break-up of the ice flow in Northeastern Canada, to name a few.

Traveling at 18,000 miles per hour, he said the rocket took two days to reach the space center.

"I clearly understood how thin and fragile the atmosphere is," Tito said of how his trip affected his views on the possible effects of global warming.

Tito's eight-day adventure unofficially cost $20 million.

Students spent the rest of the day exploring the Traveling Space Museum, which included a mission control console modeled after NASA's design, a Lunar Utility Vehicle Module, an Odyssey III Space Lab that is a full-scale replica of a space laboratory found on the International Space Station, and an Orion MiniShuttle Flight Simulator that gave students the sensation of piloting a spacecraft.

Engineers were also on hand to answer questions and distribute space-related materials.

Two speakers from the Solar System Ambassadors Program of the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena discussed NASA research and career opportunities in science, with a special emphasis on career opportunities for women.

An eight-wheel model of the Mars Rover and other space-related items were also on display.

World War II veterans representing the Commemorative Air Force Museum at the Camarillo Airport participated in the event, as did The 99s, an international organization of women pilots from 35 countries that promotes world fellowship through flight.

"Our annual symposium gives our entire school community-students, faculty, administrators and parents-the opportunity to spend an entire day focusing on a single topic of relevance to our world today," said Jeff Woodcock, headmaster of Oaks Christian School.

"We have all watched with awe as NASA has sent astronauts and even civilians into outer space, but few of us totally understand how our lives are directly impacted every day by the space program. The opportunity to hear directly from those involved will be memorable and inspiring for us all," said Woodcock.

Sophomore Jason Miguel transferred to Oaks Christian in the fall and was awed by the symposium. "I love it, it's really great," he said.

John Fescue, a senior, said that the event was "stellar," and 12th grader M.G. Gonzalez called the program "out of this world."