See Space Center Houston through the Adventures of the Winning Class
Pilot Mentor Shawn Blankenship arrives at Houston Hobby Int'l with his award-winning class from Poetry Christian Community School, near Dallas.
A Space Center Houston guide discusses the one-man and two-man capsules from early Mercury and Gemini missions. He points out the "scars" on the bottom of the Gemini capsule from re-entering earth's atmosphere at high speeds.
The group overlooks the actual Mission Control Center that helped guide Apollo 11 astronauts during man's first landing on the moon in 1969. The room, with its relatively primitive computers, has been preserved so visitors to Johnson Space Center can feel a part of the history. Current Mission Control operations now take place in an adjacent room.
Students see what it's like in the cockpit of the modern Space Shuttle.
Students pose by Saturn V, the 363-foot rocket that never took off for the moon, due to budget cuts in the early 70s. It's now property of the Smithsonian Institute and is housed at Johnson Space Center. Students learned that the U.S. is planning another trip to the moon, probably in the next 12-15 years.
Teacher Sherri Duggan hops back in the tour tram with students at the close of the day. So much learned, and so much fun! Well worth all the effort in entering the "CAREER TAKEOFF" national contest.
