Enjoyed seeing the movie Gravity?? Now you have a chance to ask a REAL NASA Astronaut, DOUGLAS H. WHEELOCK, what is fact/real science and what is fiction/Hollywood creativity! He will be sharing his experiences from his 178 days in space at the space station and all the real problems he had to deal with in HIS unplanned space walks to fix damages. Colonel Wheelock also "responded to an emergency shutdown of half of the station’s external cooling system and was the lead spacewalker for three unplanned EVAs to replace the faulty ammonia pump module that caused the shutdown. His efforts restored the station’s critical cooling system to full function." Read more about this real astronaut hero at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/wheelock.html and if he doesn't talk about this, ask him about it either at the auditorium presentation at 9am, or in the "meet-the-astronaut" session if the astronaut has time to stay. Over the years, we have met many real astronauts and seen many different presentations, including those from Japan. Onizuka Space Science Day is held annually to honor the Challenger crew, one of whom was Astronaut Onizuka, whose family is present each year.
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This is our favorite science event of the year because, unlike JPL's open house, your children can participate in egg-drop contests (and win a 2014 Onizuka Space Day t-shirt if your egg survives unbroken from a drop from the top of a three-storey building), paper airplane contests, and many interesting physics and chemistry demonstrations, an excellent planetarium show where you will remember what you learned from a professor and what you will see on March 9 nightsky), and many more (see the list below). The Astronaut's presentation and all sidewalk science tables require no tickets, so even younger children can enjoy these hands-on activities. Sessions are recommended for 5th graders and up, but any younger children who love science will benefit and my kids have been doing the egg drop contest since younger elementary grades. If you see the egg-drop contest, be prepared to have your lunch while watching the survival of the best protected eggs in free fall. We enjoy seeing new designs each year :) I also volunteer each year to draw a happy face :) on the eggs for the session my children are in.
This event is free (parking is $3) and so are session tickets, and, having done this many years, it is best if you come early if you want to get the most popular session tickets. I usually get there before 7am (yes!) because I make a group reservation for my friends and families coming for the first time. I can collect up to 6 tickets for each session (so 12 per topic since the sessions repeat) at the beginning of the line since I stand in line before 7am. There are 800 free In-and-Out lunch tickets only, and the line is pretty long by 8am when official check-in happens, and the most sought after tickets are taken quickly. So, if you would like to join my group, I am happy to get tickets for your top two choices of session tickets. Please note that the session reservation is on the first-come, first allocated tickets --- I can only get 6 tickets per session.
I would also be very happy if you would donate a suggested $10 per family towards our Orang Utan fund which will go towards creating a child-friendly website to share more about Orang Utans, their environment, and what we can do to save the species. You can see this very gentle ape species in the "Red Apes" enclosure at Los Angeles Zoo. The Orang Utan donation is optional, and much appreciated.
If you want me to get your session tickets ahead of time, you don't need to stand in line at all. You can come as late as 8.45am before the astronaut presentation at 9am (usually delayed a bit if check-in takes longer) and meet me at one of the inside doors to the auditorium where the ONLY water fountain is to pick up your tickets if you don't meet me outside earlier via phone contact. Please email me at reallykf@gmail.com for your three top choices of session tickets, your cell contact, and what time you can arrive at El Camino College.
Here are details from various sessions and logistics of the day for Onizuka Space Science Day Program 2014:
See Tonight’s Stars, Planets, and Constellations - Planetarium Show
PARTICIPANTS MUST BE ON TIME – PLANETARIUM DOORS SHUT PROMPTLY AT THE START OF THE SHOW!
Let’s Do Launch! (Rockets)
NASA Mars Missions
Chemical Magic Show
Paint Making – Prussian Blue
Dude, Where’s My Air?
Hypothesis Game
Satellite Demonstration
The Buzz on Space “Bugs”
Rad Reptiles
The World of Insects
Rock and Fossil Discovery Zone
Solving the Mystery of the Owl’s Dinner
Paper Airplane Contest*
Egg Drop Construction*
Puzzlers in Everyday Physics
Let’s Take a BirdWalk!
ROV’s and the Deep Ocean
Robotics Demonstration
Get Your Hands on Chemistry
Paper Airplane Contest*
Egg Drop Construction
Puzzlers in Everyday Physics - Recommended for grade 6 and older
WARNING – PARKING PERMITS REQUIRED FOR 2014
PARKING PERMITS ARE REQUIRED! – PLEASE PURCHASE A $3 DAILY PERMIT AVAILABLE AT THE ENTRANCES TO THE PARKING LOTS IN THE YELLOW DISPENSERS
The day will begin at 8 a.m. with check-in at the Marsee Auditorium located at the corner of Crenshaw Blvd and Redondo Beach Blvd in Torrance. Parking is located south and west the Marsee Auditorium. See map at www.elcamino.edu or www.elcamino.edu/about/
Parents, adults and siblings below grade 5 are asked not to select tickets to the breakout sessions for themselves. Adults will be able to stand in or outside of the classrooms or you may enjoy our outside demonstrations. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Again, we want the students to access the breakout sessions.
After selecting your sessions, find a seat in the Marsee Auditorium by 9 a.m. for our morning presentation featuring our astronaut. The first breakout session will run from 10:45 to 11:30 and the second session will begin at 11:45 and end at 12:30. Lunch will follow the second session and the Egg Drop Competition will be presented during lunch.
HAVE A GREAT DAY RAIN OR SHINE!!
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