Stennis Space Center

I know I mentioned this in my weekly wrap-up, but this field trip deserves a post all by itself!

#3 told me she had never been on a bus before.  Poor homeschooled child!

When we lived in Houston we lived 30 minutes away from the NASA center.  You know--the one that when you think of Houston you think of NASA being there?  Yeah, that NASA center.  It has a really cool science center attached to it and everything.  In the four years we lived there do you know how many times we visited this wonderful NASA center?  0.  Yep, we never made it there.

#4 driving a space shuttle

So imagine my amusement when I realized that the field trip I signed up for this month without even looking at where it was or what we were doing because we missed all the summer field trips and I wanted to see everyone again was in fact a visit to the NASA center in Mississippi.  I found it quite amusing that we were driving an hour and a half to visit something that was only 30 minutes away for four years.

I was pleasantly surprised when we got there.  Turns out the Stennis Space Center is the second largest NASA center, second only to Kennedy Space Center.  This is actually where they test all the engines for the rockets.  Navy SEALS also train there, there are several military facilities on site, different colleges have buildings there, and many commercial companies use the area to test and build new products.

This picture actually doesn't do the size of this justice.  It is the size of two football fields.  Massive!

Another rocket tester

While there we were also treated to a volunteer who ran us through several different aspects of what an astronaut's life is like while in space.  I learned a lot of new things I had never heard of, but my favorite was how the astronauts eat their food with a spoon.  They literally shovel it in their mouths with the spoons turned vertical.  Awesome visuals!

When there are too many astronauts on the Space Station and not enough beds, the astronauts without a room will sleep in these bags, literally hooked on a wall.  They also wear that strap over their eyes to block out any light and keep their head against the pillow!  Crazy!

They eat with a tray strapped on their leg with velcro tabs to hold their food packets on the tray.

 The three oldest got to ride on a simulator.  I'm not sure exactly what it was of since I didn't go on it with them, but I heard about lava and almost hitting a lot of things.  They loved it!

And of course, the gift shop had astronaut ice cream.  I wanted to try it too so we got mint chocolate chip and chocolate.  If you've ever eaten those freeze dried yogurt bites they have for babies you'll have a sense of the texture of this stuff.  It didn't taste bad, but the texture was just weird!

The only ice cream allowed in the car!

We were also blessed to meet new friends today.  I actually met the Mom at our Mom's Night Out a couple of weeks ago and we knew that we were going to be seeing each other today.  Her three oldest are girls the same age as my oldest three.  I was hoping the six of them would hit it off.  Well, they did more than hit it off.  They immediately paired off with their "same age" friend and it was like they had been friends their entire life.  None of them were shy and once they started talking they didn't stop.  By the time we were ready to leave we had been invited to a birthday party for their third daughter and there was talk of letter writing and sleep overs.  Thankfully the Mom and I also get along well so I look for this family to become good friends for all of us! 

Yay for new friends!

I'm very thankful I finally made it to visit a NASA center, even if I had to drive to MS to do it!