Bringing Space Camp Lessons to the Classroom

Cornerstone science teacher and department head, Shelly Pope, attended Space Camp this summer. This was a remarkable professional development experience that reignited her passion for teaching. She immersed herself in NASA’s history and future missions, engaged in hands-on labs like rocket launches and heat shield design, and tackled challenging astronaut simulations! Today, she shares how these experiences will enrich her Physical Science curriculum and inspire her students with real-world STEM applications.

Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

Space Camp was an amazing opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and fulfill the dreams of a nerdy 7th grader who longed to go to space. During the intensive week-long program I was immersed in the history of NASA and the space program with a focus on its current and future endeavors (Moon to Mars). I heard from a wide variety of people employed with NASA, both currently working on projects and previous projects. 

• Astronaut Mike Foreman gave a lecture on astronaut training and his missions on the ISS which included two EVAs. 
• David Hitt, a NASA historian, told us the story of Skylab, the precursor to the ISS, and how we can use what we already have and know to move us forward into the next mission (Artemis). 
• During a lunch-and-learn, I was able to speak with a docent, who was a lawyer with NASA. He told us about the wide variety of job opportunities with NASA, not just for engineers and scientists. Apparently, during the race to the moon in the 1960’s, NASA was not very concerned with the research's environmental impact and is still cleaning up the environment from those endeavors.  

Bringing Space Camp Lessons to the Classroom

Along with the lecture series, I participated in numerous labs that will enhance the Physical Science classes. I launched a rocket, designed and tested a heat shield and a lander to protect an “eggstronaut”, tested formulas for polymers (slime), built an LED flashlight, tested a Doppler Ball to demonstrate the Doppler effect, used a physics app to gather and evaluate data. All of these labs can be implemented in Physical Science this year to enhance learning, but also to add in how science is used in the real world for space exploration and new products to benefit us on Earth.  

Embracing Challenges 

I met educators from all over the United States, and Canada, each with a unique background. We were placed in teams for some friendly competition and team building. Here is where I was pushed out of my comfort zone many times. We trained like astronauts - spinning around on the Multi-Axis Trainer, performing a moonwalk in the 1/6th gravity chair, ziplining backward in a parachute harness, dropped into the water in a barrel that simulated a helicopter crash and rescued by the Coast Guard in a chair. The low ropes course had us working together as a team and put us in some very uncomfortable situations. 

We completed two simulated missions as a team. On the first mission, I was aboard the Space Shuttle and had to perform an EVA to repair heat tiles that had been damaged during launch. I was hanging in a harness as I used ablative foam to repair the tiles all while holding on to the shuttle so I was not launched into space. For the second mission, I was Paycom in Mission Control for a future mission in 2040. My role was to communicate with scientists in a space station orbiting a moon of Mars and then help get a rover off of the surface of Mars and back into space. 

Throughout the week, the three words our team, Team Arnold, chose to focus on were positivity, flexibility, and resilience - and I feel we did an excellent job as our team won the Commander’s Cup and received a new patch for our flight suits.  

Bringing STEM Excitement to My Students 

The highlight of the week had to be meeting Homer Hickam, author of ”Rocket Boys”, who was featured in the movie “October Sky”. His story of perseverance to develop a rocket, which he used to win the national science fair all with the support of his teacher Ms. Riley, and led to an illustrious career with the Army and NASA, had the whole room in tears. I desire to bring the knowledge, resources, and excitement I gained from the week to my students and to develop in them an excitement for STEM, and a fascination for the universe God created.    

For more information about Space Camp and to see their upcoming events and camps, click here.