Scotch College

Scotch in space - NASA tour

On 15 September 2005, 39 students and four staff members arrived in Los Angeles to begin a fantastic journey – the NASA Space Tour 2005. This was, pardon my pun, a pilot trip for Scotch College and there was great excitement.

Students were in the USA for approximately two weeks and visited six states. While in California we visited the Grand Canyon, a meteor crater in Flagstaff and toured Las Vegas. Our next stop was the NASA Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. The boys experienced six days of aeronautical training including rocket building, scuba diving, zero gravity simulators and pilot training. It was tough going but the boys survived all their missions, even receiving medallions.

Justin Sloane and George Mills are to be commended for receiving two of these medals.

Our next stop was Orlando, Florida where Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) awaited. KSC is a hub of technology where many of mankind’s greatest accomplishments have been achieved. This is the only place on earth where you can tour launch areas, meet an astronaut, see giant rockets and view the behind the scenes preparation for a launch. We experienced interactive simulators and live shows as well.

We then travelled to Washington and amid tight security visited many historical sites. These included the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum the Museum of Natural History, Capitol Hill, Arlington Cemetery, the Washington Mint and FBI headquarters.

Another highlight was a prearranged visit to the White House. We were very fortunate to be granted this tour because since 9/11 foreigners very rarely get this chance. We all felt honoured and humbled to have this opportunity and we are grateful to Mark Williams for his assistance in arranging this.

Our next stop was Los Angeles where a bit of R & R was needed.

We spent a day at Universal Studios and could not get enough of the rides, entertainment and fun. It was then necessary to shop a little, so the boys had the chance to visit Camarillo Premium Outlets where 200 leading brand discount stores were at their disposal.

After our last dinner at Shakey’s Pizza and a little more sightseeing we had to get back to the airport to catch our plane. The boys had a wonderful learning experience and have come ‘back to earth’ with memories that will last a lifetime.

I would like to thank Ian Savage, Sophie Musci, Mark Williams and Grant Watson for their tireless efforts in enabling this trip to occur.

Anyone interested in participating in the next NASA Space Tour – in June 2007 – will need to act quickly because numbers will be limited. If you would like to place your name on a list of potential participants, please contact Grace Cardaci at Scotch on 9810 4321 or email grace.cardaci@scotch.vic.edu.au.

Grace Cardaci