(for the geeks among my readers, notice M's name of the rocket is ENTERPRISE...)
Younger M and I just spent a weekend with a handful of other St. John's families at Euro Space Centre--what a trip it was! (AND let me leave that sounding as ambiguous as it is intended)!
In a nutshell here were our activities:
- human gyroscope participants
- space shuttle simulator pilots and Houston ground crew staff
- moon walkers/flag planters
- satellite technicians in 1/6 gravity
- centrifuge trainees/guinea pigs
- rocket engineers
- rocket pilots and recovery operations technicians
so now to the details...
It started with a very early Saturday morning ride in the teeming rain, sprinkled liberally with sleet, sheering winds and a good dollop of hydroplaning for 1.25 hours down the E411 towards Luxembourg. We didn't experience the hydroplaning ourselves, but the Mini Cooper right in front of us who swerved to take over a BMW was not so lucky. The Audi I was in manouvered gracefully to avoid being part of that tin crunch. Thankfully I wasn't driving: Peter, another parent accompanying his 11 year old volunteered to pick me up from my home and take all four of us. His child (A) is a student of another grade 5 teacher, and very (shall we say carefully...) active...M was a gem dealing with the antics of this only child of a very busy family with privileged status. We got to the location right on time, but the Centre wasn't ready for us...this was the beginning of a host of mis-communications and culture clashes for our (mostly north American and UK) troupe of 7 dads and 2 moms.
As we arrived, we got in, had a cup of coffee and then hunted the building for someone who looked in charge. When we found the individual, she said we had come in the wrong door, and to go out, around the construction site and down the hill to the lower doors. Of course, since it was raining still the adults sent the kids on ahead, and what did my little guy do, but wail about how A was beating him in an unfair race and then because he was doing more whining than navigating, slipped in the puddles and went ass-over-teakettle...right into the soaking wet grass. Not a happy kid! (I'm pretty sure I heard the SH_T!! word...).
We were the same number as they expected, but a few substitutions occurred since the documents had been received by the Centre--namely boy children for girls and dads for moms who had originally signed up. This meant that there were 10 boys overflowing two dorm rooms, 7 dads sharing a 5 bed dorm and one teen girl on her own while the two moms also had a dorm to myself. The hostess was beside herself when after that was dealt with (I volunteered the two women sleep with the 13-year old girl), she asked, "so, where are your sleeping bags?" to our blank stares and sputtering replies. It turns out our information said to bring nothing, and the centre's information had said "nothing will be provided". The joke was on us when with borrowed sheets and with handed-down towels we found there wasn't so much as a soap shard available for a shower in the morning. Five-star accomodations, these were not. If this activity happens again, I'll be sure to let the organizers know what lists of things we should carry to make the comfort of our cushy expatriates predictable (starting with the travelling mini-bar, a soccer ball or frizbee and a score of DVD's).
The day improved from there and we enjoyed engaging with the simulators, exhibits and models for the rest of the morning. Have a look at the video I've provided here of M in the gyroscope that simulates the freefall experienced by the Apollo 11's re-entry, July 1969.
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