Rodeo, Space Camp and 7 months already..

  Hi, how is everybody doing? So, do you prefer my blog in English or in French? At the right top of your screen, you can vote yes or no. 

Thursday the 1 of March, I had been to the Houston Rodeo. It was all day. At the end, I saw the Lady Antebellum concert. I had been to the rodeo with AFS and most of the exchange students of Houston. Arrived at the rodeo, we had been to a farm with bulls, chicks, chicken and cows. Next we have been at a sheep race. Some kids have to stay on a sheep as long as they can. After we have been to a big race, it was very funny. In the afternoon we had been to a park, it was around the stadium. At night, we have been to the Reliant Stadium for the rodeo and after the concert. The rodeo was very good. The first challenge was to try to catch a cow with a lasso as fast as they can. Next they had to jump on cow from a horse and put it down as fast as they can. A game was also organized. Some people had to catch a cow with their hands and without horses. It was pretty funny. After it was the real rodeo, some guy has to stay as long as they can on a horse or a bull. The day ends with the Lady Antebellum concert. It was my first rodeo and I liked it.

From the 4th to the 9th of March it was Space camp. Sunday, we lived Houston at around 3pm. We were 15 people, 8 boys and 7 girls. We traveled in a very small jet of around 60 peoples. We arrived in Huntsville, Alabama around 4pm. When we arrived at Space Camp, we eat and had a quick meeting. We slept in a habitat. We were 5 people per room. I was with Dakota, Deren, Sora and Fawaz.

Monday, we started by doing some mission training, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta. For each missions everybody had a job. First, you have the mission control, that have to make sure that everything is going correctly in the rocket. In seconds, you have the commander and the pilot; they have to make sure that the rocket is going in the right direction. After you have the laboratory, they have to make experiment. Finally, you have you have two missions specialists, they have to repair anything that is going wrong outside of the rocket. For the first mission I was Inco, I was charged to tell the countdown for the take-off of the rocket. For the second mission I was the flight commander, I was charged to resolve problems and solve them. For the third mission I was the commander of the rocket, I was charged to solve problems in the rocket, I was also charged to land the rocket on earth. It was really hard; I had to touch so manybuttons. For the last missions I was the mission scientist. I was charged to solve the problem in the laboratory and make experiments. Monday afternoon, we have been to the aviation park, we tried some plane simulator and after had been to the centrifuge. The centrifuge is a machine with a rapidly rotating container. It simulated the effects of centrifugal force when you are in the air. I couldn’t move my legs or my arms, I was fixing at my seat.

Tuesday, we did the missions one more time and after we have been in the area 51 and did one game. The Goal was to get from the structure across two pillars to the other side. The rules are that they are one long board and one short board. Only one board can touch a pillar at a time. Only one person can be on a pillar at a time. No one can touch the ground until they cross over the two pillars. Both boards have to wind up on the other side of the pillars at the end. We couldn’t talk so it was harder than normal. In the activity a lot of teamwork was used. We have to listen and understand each other and after cross. We missed a couple of times but after we did it. It was very fun.  After we did the Space Shot, it’s for simulating the take-off of a rocket. Tuesday night, we started to build our own rocket. We had a budget, and with this budget we had to buy all the parts of our rockets.

Wednesday, we climbed a climbing wall. After we did the pamper pool, you have to climb on top of a post, and after trying to touch a rope by jumping out of the post. Most of the people did it but some of them give up at the middle of the post. Wednesday we also did one big mission, I was chosen to be the commander and the scientist commander. The mission was 3 hours. It was pretty hard, a lot of problems happened during these missions like some tornados in Houston. With those tornados, the communications had been cut, so it makes the mission harder than normal. At night, we fished our rocket.

Thursday, we launch our rocket. In our rocket, we putted an egg; it was supposed to be the astronaut. Our egg broke inside the rocket, so we loosed. During the afternoon, we did two more experiments. The first was the simulation of how you walk on the moon. We were in a chair trying to walk. The next one was for simulating the loosest of all you sense when you go to space.

Friday, we were graduated. After the graduation, we lived for Houston. During this trip we also learn about the stars and the constellation and the different disease that an astronaut can have when he is in space. At space camp we had eaten in a cafeteria, for me the food was good. During the week we had two team leaders, Andrew was the team leader for the day and Jameel was the team leader for the evening. They were both very nice and very interesting. Space camp was a pretty good trip, I had so much fun.

Now, it spring break, we are in holidays for one week. WEAH!!!

This is the links for the pictures: 

https://picasaweb.google.com/106862873342196785063/SpaceCamp?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNrD08zq9O-CrQE&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/106862873342196785063/Rodeo?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNXGyvemnrihDA&feat=directlink