Training Day 1

Today I started training academy.  We started with NASA history, but I only caught half of it as I was scheduled in the motion based shuttle simulator in the middle of it.  The sim was quite awesome.  The motion based part was pretty cool.  Then we each got to land the shuttle without motion (otherwise we’d need someone experienced as a copilot and then the other people wouldn’t get to see).  It’s harder than you think it is.  The shuttle is slow to respond to roll, but quick for pitch adjustments.  But in the end I was able to land the thing without crashing.  Talk about stressful!  lol  But it’s pretty fun anyway.

Back at training academy we learned about the shuttle, which was more valuable for the stories Tom shared with us.  We learned just how important it is to speak up when you are unsure about anything.  If any number of people had spoken up, Columbia wouldn’t have been lost.  We were reminded over and over again the importance of communication.  It’s a big job, and we all have a lot to learn.  I really look forward to it though.  Learning to communicate effectively, to make decisions quickly, to learn to think through things in a way I haven’t ever had to before, all of these are valuable skills in life.

What’s amazing is that it is quite possible that some kids, 18 years old have no idea they could be the first people to set foot on Mars.  And we can be the flight controllers and team leads that get them there.  At the very least, we should be flight controllers when we land on the Moon again.  Simply amazing.  And you know…if the next president does try to cut the space program, I think I will have truly lost faith in the political process.  Any politician that honestly can’t see just how important the space program is to give hope to countless children around the world is just blind.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere - nearest neighbors a half mile down the road, surrounded by corn fields nowhere.  But as a kid I had this record with the transmissions from the first shuttle launch.  I had a shuttle toy, and wished more than anything to go to space camp.  I would have never thought to go into science without the space program.  I didn’t know any scientists personally, so how else would I have come to that idea in small town Wisconsin?  Nothing else can provide that much hope in a person who doesn’t know how else to get somewhere in life.  There are many other reasons to go, but considering that Obama talks about hope on one hand, yet talks about canceling the space program on the other, he clearly isn’t thinking straight.  Or he’s thinking too small.  Either way…he’s wrong.  And I’ll have truly lost faith in him if he really tries to do this.