Ever wonder what it's like to go to Space Camp?

By Julia Bianco on September 9, 2013

David is running around while Allison is following, screaming and attempting to duct tape him to the wall. Ogyen just fainted from heat stroke and Catelyn is frantically trying to splint Kate’s broken leg. I smile. This is the stuff I’m good at. Chaos is my element.

Space Camp: an experience that challenges every part of you. The Extended Duration Mission is a six-hour ordeal made challenging by “Space Ghosts,” who live to make campers’ lives crazy with contrived medical dramas, space shuttle breakdowns and no gravity blunders. Advanced Space Academy campers train for a full week before going on the Extended Duration Mission. They participate in two shorter, one hour missions, as well as other simulations, including anti-gravity chairs and scuba diving.

My Space Camp group, Team Holderer.

It all started early on Thursday. I was the Station Commander on the Enterprise Shuttle. I prepared for lift off.  Space Ghost Mike whispers, “Pretend you have a leg cramp and stand up.” As soon as I do, the force of acceleration throws me back against the wall. “Woops, sprained neck!” shouts Mike.

Kate rushes to me. “Broken leg!” shouts Space Ghost Andrew. David waits until Allison declares it’s safe to get up. He grabs a neck brace from the medicine bag and rushes to help me. Andrew, noticing that David neglected to close the bag, capitalizes on the opportunity. All of a sudden, syringes start flying through the air. David is injected with Valium. He rushes towards the control panel, and in his frenzied button pushing, he deactivates the cabin fan. Ogyen runs to finish my neck brace, so I’ll be able to move. Immediately after, he faints.

There must be a way to get our mission back on track. I stand there, thinking. Suddenly, Allison faints. The temperature is climbing rapidly, and I know that if I don’t act soon, we will all die. I snap out of my trance. I grab oxygen masks for my companions. I pick up the headset to contact Mission Control, but our contact is out of commission.  I’m on my own.

First step: control David. I grab the duct tape. “David,” I say. “There’s an alien outside!” He giddily rushes over. “Sorry,” I say, as I tape him to the wall. “The drugs will be out of your system soon.”

I notice that Catelyn and Kate have fainted too. I need to fix the fans.

What buttons did David hit? There were hundreds on the control panel, and it looked like he had pushed quite a few. I fumble through the instruction manual. Payload bay doors, LiOH canisters, EVAs… cabin fans. I begin typing in the codes. David faints. “You’re getting very sleepy,” says Mike. I speed up.

I check the temperature. The codes aren’t working. Still 107… “You’re dizzy too,” Andrew announces. I decide that it’s time to get creative.

I glance at the temperature again. I stare in awe as it drops to 103… 97…90! My solution worked! We’re safe!

I glance around me. Everyone is starting to wake up. The Space Ghosts applaud. “Didn’t think you were going to be able to fix that,” admires Andrew. I smile.

Yes, I think, chaos is definitely my element.

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