photo by Jennifer Cording
	Gregory Harman plays the role of a NASA programmer during a simulated rocket launch Friday.

By Jennifer Cording
WALLOPS — Occasional giggles over the intercom were the only clue Friday that NASA’s Range Control Center was not in the hands of its usual operators.

Otherwise, the intercom voices sounded quite professional as 28 Virginia Space Flight Academy campers, ranging in age from 12-14, assumed the scripted roles of launch pilot, test conductor, programmer and others to direct a simulated Pegasus launch.

The simulation culminated a week-long residential summer camp, one of five camps conducted by the academy this summer at Wallops Flight Facility for students from as far as Texas and New York.

“It really is a unique opportunity,” said Robert Marshall, the academy’s executive director. “They will see things in this camp that the general public has no idea go on here.”

From simulating the repair of a malfunctioning Hubble Space Telescope to designing a space station to building and launching model rockets, the students explored the science and engineering of space travel, weather, robotics and telemetry.

They also received a first-hand look at the Wallops launch pads, Aegis Combat Systems Center, NASA’s Meteorology Division and the Wallops Visitor Center.

The students, who lived in Navy dormitories while at Wallops, also took field trips to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, the Dream roller rink, Assateague beach and a local ice cream parlor.

Sarah Scanlon, 13, of Berlin, Md. had trouble choosing only one favorite activity from the week.

“Launching our rockets, the robots and the practice missions we would do to land on Mars,” she finally decided. “It was really fun.

“I don’t want to go home,” she added. “It’s the most fun I’ve had all summer.”

Not a bad review, especially considering Scanlon had traveled to Spain, France, England and Africa earlier in the summer.

A straight-A student who aspires to a career in astronomy or aerodynamics, Scanlon said the camp reinforced her love of science and math.

Matthew Billie, 11, of Parksley, also a straight-A student, said his parents encouraged him to attend the camp.

“They thought I would learn a lot of different things about space flight stuff and being an astronaut,” said Matthew, who particularly enjoyed launching model rockets.

While at Wallops, Billie also gained inspiration for a future career.

“Today we saw these really cool planes flying overhead. That made me want to be a pilot,” he said.

The Virginia Space Flight Academy is one of several projects initiated by the Eastern Shore Regional Partnership to stimulate economic development on the Shore by taking advantage of existing assets. The academy is dedicated to enhancing the scientific educational opportunities for youth in the mid-Atlantic region, encouraging a stable source of employment and income for the local economy and enhancing the Shore’s image as a tourist attraction where technology and ecology not only coexist, but complement each other.

In addition to the partnership and Wallops Flight Facility, the academy is supported by Virginia Space Flight Center, the Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The last camp of the summer, an advanced camp for 14- to 16-year-old students, is now under way. Dates for next year’s camps are being finalized.

Tuition for each week-long camp is $550, and scholarships are available.

For more information, contact Executive Director Robert Marshall at the Virginia Space Flight Academy at 1-866-757-7223 (toll-free), 824-6207 (local), e-mail to spaceacademy@intercom.net, or write 7300 Kearsage Circle, Wallops Island, VA 23337. Information is also available on the academy’s Website at: www. vaspaceflightacademy.org.

Reach Jennifer Cording at: beacon@intercom.net.