Space School Houston, July 2011 I was fortunate enough to be selected for Space School in 2011. Space School was set up to provide students from around the world with an insight into the Space industry.
NPBHS and NPGHS secured the opportunity to represent NZ. The selection process involved an application letter and interview. Strengths in Mathematics and Science were prerequisites to applying. On Saturday the 23rd of July, I left New Plymouth to fly to Houston. I arrived in Houston at around 10pm and was met by a representative from Space School before arriving at my host family's house at midnight. Space school is based at the University of Houston Clearlake (UHCL). There were 38 students spread over 18 different countries. Everyone was interviewed and put in five different teams. I was in the Red Team and elected team leader. We were in charge of getting from lower Earth orbit, to Mars and back. Most days started at 8am, finishing at Spm. There was then either a host family night or a social event organized at 7pm. Each of the teams were dedicated a room in the University where they would work from for the following week and a half. We had a technician speak about the space suit and there was one on show for us to look at. Nicole Stott, a former astronaut, spoke about her experiences into space and her husband spoke about space law.
Galveston Medical Centre as well as the Johnson Space Centre. We got to see old mission control rooms, real space craft and many more testing and practice facilities. They also showed us where the astronauts train. It is the world's biggest indoor pool, at 12.2m deep, about ?Om long and 40m wide. In the pool is a full mock up of the ISS (International Space Centre), which gives Astronauts the ability to train in similar conditions to space.
Sunday, 7th August was the final day of Space School and the day of graduation. The Chairman of UHCL began with a speech, which included telling us we are all guaranteed entrance into the University. Each team went up and were awarded their graduation certificates. Each of the five team leaders then had lists of names to read out, thanking everyone involved. We finished with a dinner and a video of the past two weeks. It was then time to say our final good byes.
Towards the end of the second week we had a presentation on robotics. These robots are essential to space exploration to provide valuable information prior to human ventures. We spent considerable time working in teams on our power-point presentations, built our model space shuttle and lander and worked on the lyrics for our team song, based on 'hot and cold' by Katy Perry. We drove out to the country for star-gazing. It was a beautiful clear night with several large telescopes set up in a field. One of the highlights of Space School was seeing the rings of Saturn through one of the biggest telescopes in the world.
Space School was a great experience. The number of different cultures and diverse learning will stay with me forever. I made many lifelong friendships and it has broadened my perspective with regard to career options.
Saturday, 6th August was the day ofthe final team presentations. The Yellow Team started by talking about mission control. The Maroon Team talked about their space elevator from the surface to lower Earth orbit. My team then talked about getting from lower Earth orbit, to Mars, and back. The Green Team talked about their habitat on the Martian surface and finally the Blue Team talked about their rovers and experiments on Mars.
Another guest speaker spoke about nanotechnology in the space industry and a woman from Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's company, talked about commercial space travel. We visited two commercial space industries who are trying to develop space tourism. One working lunch we had a speaker who was a retired mission controllerfor NASA He was working when they successfully returned Apollo 13 back to Earth in a state of emergency. Following that we spent the day at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. One real highlight was that we were able to radio call the International Space Station (ISS). We only had a 15 minute slot, as the ISS was passing, 360km overhead at that time. Ten students were elected to ask specific questions ofthe ISS Captain. One interesting fact was that one Earth day (24 hrs) is equal to 16 days on the ISS. That evening we went to a soccer game, the Houston Dynamos vs the Seattle Sounders. Houston won 3-1. One cultural highlight was the culture fair. There was delicious food from all countries. After lunch everyone performed something unique from their country. Idid the Haka to represent NZ, which was well appreciated. We were also taught Scottish dancing from Scotland and line dancing from the USA We also attended a baseball game, which was a real USA experience. In the second week we had the opportunity to tour around the
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THOMAS BURRELL MEETS HIS FIRST SPACE SUIT
This page has been kindly sponsored by The Devon Hotel
I would like to thank NPBHS, particularly Mr Mclellan for his support and selection. Iwould also like to thank my host family in Houston for their hospitality, my teachers and New Plymouth public for supporting my raffle and the following sponsors who made the trip possible by assisting financially.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Royal NZ Airforce Assoc- North Shore Branch Royal NZ Airforce Assoc- Warkworth Branch Institute of Professional Engineers NZ incorporation Transfield Worley Limited Shell Todd Oil Services Limited
Written by Thomas Burrell
Global Youth Leaders' Congress Washington July 2011 On 17 July the three of us, Miles White, Jasper StevensonBone and myself, Hayden Wood, left New Plymouth airport bound for the United States of America to attend the Global Young Leaders Conference in Washington, DC and New York.
Little did we know at the time that we were about to embark on one of the most life changing experiences. After a total of 17 hours flying, with a night stop in LA, we arrived in Washington where we were checked into our hotel and divided into one of eight assigned country groups. Within each group were 25 students from all corners of the globe, each and every one of us from different backgrounds and experiences to share and as a result we began making friends instantly. Throughout the conference we listened to highly regarded speakers from the Department of State, the UN, and other global organisations. Each speaker helped give us a perspective on, and form opinions about, global issues facing our world today. Because of this, the way we look at the world today has changed. In the leadership group meetings for our country groups we were briefed on the day ahead, and shared and discussed ideas on the topics raised by the guest speakers. Armed with the speaker's advice, we participated in simulations concerning global issues which included politics of trade and peace and security to create resolutions and come to an agreement on these global issues. On to New York, where, after a 5 hour bus ride, stopping in Philadelphia, the birth place of US democracy, we were greeted by the programme co-ordinator for an orientation of Manhattan College, our home for the next five days where we would quite literally get a taste of university life. After a full-on week with some starts as early as 7 am and finishing at 10 pm, the simulations culminated in a global summit held at the UN headquarters in New York. Here delegates spoke on behalf of their country, voicing their opinions on matters facing the world today such as human rights, health, and peace and security, where solutions were suggested and motions passed on these important topics. As a result, we gained a unique perspective
THE AMBASSADOR, JASPERSTEVENSON-BONE, MILESWHITE, HAYDEN WOOD, AND THE MAYOR HARRY DUYNHOVEN
on how such issues are solved and gained many leadership skills that will be of benefit in the future. Beside the academic work of the conference, we had plenty of time to take in the many famous sites and landmarks around Washington, DC and New York City. In the capital these included the WWII, Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials along with the famous Georgetown district, Department of State, the Holocaust and Smithsonian Museums, Capitol Hill and a photo opportunity outside the White House. In New York, we visited Times Square, Chinatown. 5th Avenue, where we saw the show "Mary Poppins" on Broadway, Ellis Island and the UN Head Office. The conference was an amazing experience to be part of and a lifetime opportunitY, where we all gained skills, knowledge and friendships that will ast a lifetime. It would not have been possible without the assistance of the school, in particular, Mr Heaps, whose extra time and effort to organise everything made our trip possible. We would also like to thank our families, particularly our parents, who have not only supported us along the way but given us this great opportunity. Written by Hayden Wood, Jasper Stevenson-Bone and Miles White
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