Mission LEO encouraged kids to take on the roles of NASA astronauts and engineers.
Michael Stanton’s after-school program allowed kids to experience what it’s like to launch a Space Shuttle, perform on-orbit operations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and return to Earth.
This program paralleled the complex steps taken by actual ground control based procedures. By using reference materials acquired from NASA and related education centers, actual blueprints of the NASA Space Shuttle, telemetry and cockpit checklists acquired from astronauts who flew on previous missions, and by integrating all of this into software, Mission LEO created an environment that allows kids to test themselves and work together to achieve a Space Shuttle mission. This program continues on in Michael’s memory at the Arlington Science Focus School.
“You tell me, and I forget.
You teach me, and I remember.
You involve me, and I learn
.”
- Benjamin Franklin
How it worked:
20 participants split into 5 teams: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo.
Teams rotate 4 positions each week, allowing equal participation in desired positions like the flight crew in the cockpit, NASA Test Director, etc.
Participants man 16 computer stations inside the Launch/Mission Control Center, and are equipped with headsets in order to establish internal communications and communications with the space shuttle crew. Four participants make up the flight crew, seated in the shuttle cockpit and are also equipped with headsets. These headsets are vital in maintaining synchronicity across all the events that will transpire throughout the mission.
Checklists are utilized within the cockpit, guiding the flight crew in toggle switch positioning and when to perform a particular action. With careful and patient instruction, a simulated NASA Space Shuttle mission ensues.
After a few weeks the flight crew and Mission Control establish a flow, executing procedures like an orchestrated symphony.
In the final week, kids put their parents in the cockpit and Mission control, and instruct their parents on how to properly run a simulation.
Three nine-week sessions:
SEssion 1: ASCENT and OrBIT INSERTION
Prepare, launch and insert into orbit a Space Shuttle.
Session 2: On-orbit OPs
Use an on-board telescope to identify star constellations, planets and man-made spacecraft. Rendezvous with a space station.
Session 3: Entry and Landing
Prepare, de-orbit and land the Space Shuttle.
After completing our program, kids realized that they can accomplish more than they thought, boost their self-confidence and self-esteem, and imagine what they could achieve in the STEM field.
Kids LEARNED:
Math, Electronics, and Basic Radar Principles
Geography and Astronomy
NASA Acronyms and Communication Protocol
Enhanced Reading Comprehension
Teamwork
Leadership
Responsibility