Starbase

Caroline had her Starbase camp this week.  This was a free (amen!) STEM camp on the Ellington Joint Reserve Base in Houston.  Three kids met us at our house each morning and I drove the four of them to camp.  (It is over an hour from our house, yet still in Houston.)  We met in a parking lot across the street from the base, because we had to pack the minivans with 6 kids each since only certain cars could go on base.  I was a "bus" for the kids.  Each day four vanloads of kids went through the gate.  That first day, I discovered I was the only one with a gate pass.  For some reason mine had been emailed to me.  I thought that was a great thing to already have it.  But then when we got to the gate, they let me go through while the other three vans had to wait for an escort to bring their passes.  The MP at the gate gave me directions using shapes of buildings and airplanes.  Turn right at the cubic building, turn right again at the F-16.  I looked up at him with a look that caused the officer behind him to say, "You got this, it's just three right turns."  And so I went through the gate.  You know what this base didn't have?  Street signs.  Not one.  I passed one building that was clearly not cubic enough.  I took the first right turn, but then I really had no idea if it was correct or not.  There were more than one airplane.  I don't know an F-16.  I really didn't want to drive down somewhere I was not authorized to be. So, I sat for what seemed like forever for the other three cars with their escort to catch up.  After that first day, I got my three right turns down and it was quite simple.    

Day 1 - 

They learned about molecules and elements.  They had to build an element and take a picture of it using the iPad and then it would give them information for their notebooks.  

A melted ice experiment was a favorite because the ice on the metal plate melted faster than the ice on the wood.  

They controlled a robot with an iPad.  This was the most favorite activity of the day.

They had an outside activity using Bristlebot bugs that moved using solar power.  Caroline finished hers and was just waiting for her partner.  

They also did this experiment which we've done quite a few times in the past.  Can you tell that by Caroline's expression?  Been there, done that. 

Since NASA is associated in some capacity with the Ellington base, when we got home, we told Josiah that the kids got to do the astronaut training apparatus.  He believed us.  And he was incredibly excited that she got to do such a cool thing. 

Caroline's partner was Johnathan.  Johnathan's dad works for NASA and one of his previous jobs was to train astronauts using the astronaut training apparatus.  He has had many very cool roles during his tenure there.  Now he's in management and his job is a lot less exciting.  

Day 2 - 

The second chaperone's child was sick Monday and Tuesday, so I was asked to chaperone on Tuesday.  Caroline was not thrilled by that news.  However, I enjoyed seeing what they got to do each day.  This day they learned latitude and longitude, as well as degrees, minutes, seconds for GPS.  Then they went geocaching outside.  Even though they could see some of the things to find, they had to find particular items which were numbered, and that made it more difficult.  This was one of Caroline's favorite things for the whole week.    

They made circuits.  They had a fan, blower, buzzer, dimmer, and LED light.  They had to check the voltage of each and then see how many they could connect with it still working.  Nobody's blowers worked, but one kid figured out to disconnect the voltage reader and just use the battery and got it to work.  This was an Aha! moment for the kids.  Then they had to come up with a real world solution to eliminate the yellow ant population that was introduced to Australia using ideas from their circuitry kits.  Most used the fan in reverse to suck up the ants and grind them or laser them (LED).  

At the end of the day, they were given laptops and they did a fun search for objects in a CAD program.  They all really enjoyed this.  It was not a simple seek-and-find.  The objects were quite hidden and you had to manipulate the rooms to find things.  It was a fun activity to do when their brains were tired from the rest of the day's activities.  

One of the teachers told us that the plane we pass every day on the way in was nicknamed the Vomit Comet and it was used by Tom Hanks and others during the filming of Apollo 13.  It is the plane that flies at 45° up and down to allow them to experience weightlessness.  When we came home on Day 2, we told Josiah that they took the kids up in the Vomit Comet and they got to experience weightlessness.  He believed us.  24 weightless 5th and 6th graders vomiting all over an airplane at great heights without their parental units.  He asked if I went up too.  Of course I did.  

Day 3 - 

They used hard plastic straws and made them into rockets.  When they shot them off, Caroline got hers to go the furthest of all.  

They learned area and volume.  They also worked on a 3D gyro sphere on their laptops.  

I got to go on base a little early to be a 'bus' driver for their field trip Wednesday afternoon.  It was such a short drive.  We could literally see the building from the Starbase building, but they would not allow the kids to walk on the base.  So, we drove them one minute down the road.  As we were waiting to enter the building, this NASA plane was grounded nearby.  This one goes so high in the atmosphere that the pilots have to wear astronaut suits to keep their pressure regulated.   

While we were waiting to go in, we watched an F-16 take off.  The runway was literally on the other side of that fence above, so it was incredibly loud.  What made it even cooler was that immediately after taking off, it took a very sharp left turn.  I can only imagine what it felt like inside the plane.  

We went in a big building that was designated for the Coast Guard.  After walking through a very small office area, we entered their expansive bay which held three of their smaller Coast Guard helicopters.  Our tour guide gave us an explanation of the helicopters as well as the four roles inside: pilot, co-pilot, mechanic (who runs the back), and a swimmer.  Our guide, who was six months out of flight school, was the co-pilot.  These particular helicopters can only fly 3 hours before running out of fuel, which doesn't seem that long.  The kids were allowed to look inside, but not actually get in the helicopter.  

While we were in the bay, another F-16 took off.  Still really loud!  Outside of the bay were Apache helicopters.  

When we got home, we told Josiah that the kids were given rides in the Coast Guard helicopters with the doors open.  He believed us.  

Day 4 - 

They did more experiments this day.  They tested different types of fabric and how well it absorbed water and Kool-Aid.  

They put water into baking soda, corn starch, and a gel to see what happened.  Caroline said this was a cool experiment, but she got assigned the baking soda beaker, so it was the least exciting one.  

They used computers to fix a satellite.  

They had to build a strong and stable structure.  Caroline said she and her teammate used all the blocks and it took 50 hits on the plastic tub to completely demolish their building.  

They also tested what was the best item to trap heat for a trip to Mars.  They discovered that bubble wrap worked well.  

In the afternoon, they got to go into an inflated room which was their simulator for their mission to Mars.  Within the room the kids had different roles.  There was a medical bay, life support, navigation, rovers, drones, and one that we think was communications.  Their goal was to take off, get into Mars' orbit, and then land on Mars.  There was a time limit and as well as a limited oxygen supply.  Caroline said the tent structure would shake according to what they were doing.  She was on the medical team which she said was not very exciting for that particular mission.  Her group did make it with 40 seconds to spare.  

When we got home on Day 4, we told Josiah they flew to Mars.  He no longer believed us and he was not too happy to discover they hadn't done the other things we said they did on the previous days either.  We were dubbed liars...

Day 5 - 

This day they measured liquids and tested how many drops of water they could collect on a penny.  Caroline got 61 drops on one penny.  

They looked at capillary action.

They also made an egg protector that crash landed into Mars.  

At the end of the day they had a small graduation ceremony.  She had a good time this week.  Despite driving over 700 miles over the course of the week (it doesn't seem possible, but I measured it each day), the kids enjoyed their car time, too.  There was a lot of singing and laughing, joke telling and game playing.  

Driving to Starbase each day took us over the Brazos River.  Whenever I have driven over this bridge before, the water was so far below it that the bridge looked unnecessarily high.  Typically there are steep cliffs of dirt on either side.  With all the rain recently, this was the height of the water this week.  On either side are the tops of trees.  I have no idea how high the water got during Hurricane Harvey, but I have never seen the water even remotely this high before.  When the water recedes I'll have to take an 'after' to show the normal depth.  

The boys had a quieter week of their own.  They were given a list of things to complete each day as I was off driving.  

Henry is finishing out his last few weeks of jiu-jitsu.  

The kids made me very nice cards for Mother's Day.  I was very impressed by the time they each took.  Josiah gave me a handmade candle to go with his card.  

Henry's card had tickets that I could pull out.  He told me only to pull one a day.  The first one was for a free hug, so I said I'd save that one for when he's mad.  Then he wanted me to pull another ticket out just to see how it worked.  The second ticket informed me to say "Henry is the best."  I can see his thought process for the tickets.  He has quite a few in there, too.  Caroline's card was incredibly sweet.  I felt very blessed.  They're good kids.  

Later Henry insisted on making dinner - homemade pizzas.  We buy the pizza crusts already frozen and they are quite good.  

The week ahead is full of doctor and dentist appointments.  Even Benson has his check-up.