Recently the sixth graders had the opportunity to go into space…or at least a simulation of it. They undertook a mission to “Rendezvous with Comet Halley” at Challenger Center Hawaii located at Barber’s Point Elementary School. Pre-mission lessons at school in subjects such as volume, density, mass and weight, as well as team building prepared the “Shuttle astronauts” and “Mission Controllers” for the challenges of the action-packed simulation.
Students were divided up into crew teams: Navigation, Medical, Isolation, Communication, Probe, Data, Life Support, and Remote. Each team played a specific role in the mission, and each student had a chance to experience the joys and frustrations of both the mission control and the space shuttle. Flashing lights and buzzers indicated new emergencies that had to be solved using critical thinking skills. The simulation gave students a chance to evaluate data and make crucial decisions on their own, without teacher guidance. It was a valuable experience for all; and the sixth graders learned two very important lessons: teamwork gets the mission accomplished…and, most important, read the directions carefully!
