Elder spacemen

Wendy Abbot

For aspiring astronauts, or anyone interested in the space program,

the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson, Kan. is the

place to go.

This is five days of hands-on activity for eager elders 55 or

older. Our group drew 35 participants from 15 states for a program

developed by the Cosmosphere staff that combines actual astronaut

training and briefings on subjects ranging from how the body reacts

to space flight to principals of rocketry.

First, we separated into seven groups of five to build a Lunar

Rover from a Lego-like collection of plastic pieces with four motors

and four wheels designed to move forward and back to be able to pick

up rock samples to return to earth. After a couple of hours, we

finally built a contraption that did just that. It was interesting to

see that from all the teams no two vehicles resembled each other in

any way, but they all did function and fulfill their mission.

Creativity was the keynote in this project.

The next activity was for each of us to build a rocket propelled

with solid rocket fuel that would not only take off, but also fly

straight and high.

Fortunately, we had a kit for this project, so it was a matter of

putting piece A together with piece B, and so on. It still took a

couple of hours.

When this was accomplished, we headed for a Kansas field, where we

launched our rockets. Some were especially streamlined and went

further than others, and some fell to the earth rather quickly. But

the whole project was beneficial in understanding the complexities of

rocketry. If we were going to take our rocket home, they warned us to

dismantle it and remove the spent propellant before going through

security at the airport, as this explosive residue would undoubtedly

raise many questions.

The highlight of the week was a simulated mission aboard the

Comosphere’s state-of-the-art shuttle simulator, the Falcon III.

Before the mission, each team had to come up with a name for their

mission -- ours was Elder-naut, a combination of Elderhostel, the

East Coast tour operator that runs this program, and astronauts.

I was the commander, and the crew consisted of a pilot, a payload

commander, payload specialist and mission specialist. Before the

actual mission, we spent time in a mock-up of the space capsule,

where we practiced inputting the computer information so we would be

successful when the time came to actually get into the space module

and familiarizing ourselves with all the buttons and switches and

computer screens.

We experienced what a liftoff feels like by spinning to six times

normal gravity in the centrifuge, a G-force trainer. We also received

training in an advanced flight simulator housed in an actual F-101

cockpit to practice landing the spacecraft.

The mission for Elder-naut was to, No. 1, take off successfully;

No. 2, get into orbit; No. 3, release the payload; and No. 4, return

safely to earth, landing on the runway at the launch site. As my team

climbed the gantry to enter the shuttle, cheering erupted from among

the other six teams, and the Cosmosphere staff of 12 wished us good

luck.

Our team was the first to launch, so the pressure was on. If we

didn’t do all the entries in the computer correctly, mission control

would contact us through our headsets to make the necessary

corrections so we would not crash and burn. It was nerve racking but

exhilarating. Upon takeoff from the launch site, the noise and the

vibration and then the tilt of the module as we entered orbit was so

realistic. Once we were in orbit, we launched our payload

successfully, and could see it out the window of the shuttle as it

soared off into space.

Re-entry brought more sounds and vibration and a forward tilt to

Elder-naut. Mission control was guiding us toward the runway

approach, and the touchdown area filled one of the three computer

screens. As commander, it was my duty to land the Elder-naut safely

back on earth.

A picture-perfect landing almost ended in disaster when I

overlooked one minor detail. When the two rear wheels touched down, I

thought the mission was complete. Little did I realize that the nose

wheel had to touch down and we needed to taxi to a halt. A gentle

reminder from mission control saved us from crashing on the runway

and our mission turned out to be a great success.

Upon leaving the ship with high fives among the crew, we stepped

out and walked down the gantry a mid cheers from the other crews, who

were now to have their turn.

What makes the whole program work so successfully and why all the

participants were so elated with the week’s activities is the

dedication of the staff who are passionate about their work and the

40 volunteers who did everything from transporting us from the

airport in Wichita to retrieving the rockets that we launched in the

field.

This has to be one of the most unique experiences offered to a

generation that remembers the exciting beginning of the race to the

moon.

* WENDY ABBOT is a resident of Newport Beach.

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