THOMAS TWP. – One Swan Valley student recently completed a program that allowed him to explore space and train like an astronaut.
Swan Valley High School junior Samuel Curell completed the Advanced Space Academy recently in Huntsville, Ala. The six-day excursion included a variety of hands-on activities and simulations in space equipment, mom, Heather Curell said.
She added that while there, Samuel and the other trainees experienced a variety of astronaut training exercises, engineering challenges and teambuilding activities. The academy culminated in an extended-duration simulated space mission.
Other activities included designing, building and launching a team rocket, participating in a Space Camp Challenge Course, flying jet aircraft simulators and going on a simulated Mars extended-duration mission, among other things.
There was a cost for the Advanced Space Academy, which took place late August. He drove to Alabama with family although he attended the program by himself.
The 17-year-old participated in the space academy in order to enrich his science skills, he said.