And in the news...
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Astronaut returns home to Waterbury
BY BRYNN MANDEL | REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
June 3, 2008
Rick Mastracchio, astronaut and Waterbury native,
speaks to fifth grade students at Chase Elementary
School on their graduation from the Starbase program
on Monday. (T.J. Kirkpatrick/Republican-American)
WATERBURY -- The astronaut returned home this week,
striding across the same wood gymnasium floor where
he played decades, and many millions of miles, ago.
Rick Mastracchio, 48, never thought much about
becoming a spaceman during his time at Chase School.
Years later, he nonetheless realized the child's fantasy of blasting off on a rocket to space — twice.
Mastracchio shared of his path to space with about 140 fifth-graders at his elementary alma matter
on Monday, then engaged in an exchange that covered everything from eating to upchucking in
zero gravity.
The former Hamilton Standard engineer and Crosby High graduate first applied to become an
astronaut in the mid-1980s. Instead, NASA offered Mastracchio an engineering post. He accepted,
but maintained astronaut aspirations.
"I applied every year, and every year I would get turned down," he said, sporting a blue NASA
jumpsuit. Astronaut training accepted him in 1996. "Nine years I applied. I kept on trying and I kept
on pushing."
A bulletin board in the gym's corner paid homage to Chase's celebrated graduate with a photo of
Mastracchio in his orange flight suit flanked by the phrases "Shoot for the stars" and "You just
might reach them."
The married father of three narrated a video of his second mission to the International Space
Station, including his first, second and third space walks. He described exiting the space station's
hatch into the darkness for the first time.
"You really can't see much at first," he said. Orbiting at close to 18,000 miles per hour, the space
station saw a sunrise and sunset every 45 minutes -- about the time it took to circle Earth.
Thunderstorms marked Mastracchio's first foray into space's dark vacuum. "I could see the
lightning dancing all over the planet as we soared above it."
He encapsulated the rest of the 5.3 million-mile August trip matter-of-factly. He detailed how he
nearly made unprecedented, in-orbit repairs to the shuttle's underbelly, damaged during takeoff, as
nonchalantly as he described astronauts' sleeping conditions, in bags affixed to shuttle walls.
The children fixated on space's effect on humans. Of particular fascination was how Mastracchio
measured an inch or two taller in orbit.
"I didn't know your spine could extend like that," said Amber Prete, 11, who adopted the call name
"Hi-C" for the Department of Defense-funded science program, STARBASE, that brought
Mastracchio, now of Houston, to Waterbury. The program augments science education for select
fifth-grade classes in Waterbury and Hartford.
Learning Made Fun at STARBASE, BY STEVE SMITH, Reminder News, May 2008
Click here to see the article.
Blast off! Into education...
Posted 7/31/2009
103rd Airlift Wing
A Wonderful Day for Rocket Launching
By Rachel Gottlieb on August 5, 2008
The Hartford Courant Blog
One-by-one the sixth-graders at Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford lined up
to launch the rockets they made at Starbase, the Department of Defense-funded
program that teaches lessons in science, technology, engineering and math near
Brainard Airport. Click here to read the full story. Photo by Mark Mirko.
Posted 7/31/2009
103rd Airlift Wing
A Wonderful Day for Rocket Launching
By Rachel Gottlieb on August 5, 2008
The Hartford Courant Blog
One-by-one the sixth-graders at Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford lined up
to launch the rockets they made at Starbase, the Department of Defense-funded
program that teaches lessons in science, technology, engineering and math near
Brainard Airport. Click here to read the full story. Photo by Mark Mirko.
Hartford’s Capital Prep Magnet School Students Reaching for the Stars
August 6th, 2008 categories: Central Connecticut News & Information
We don’t hear a lot of good news from Hartford, especially from the schools. So when my husband, Assistant Principal
at Capital Prep Magnet School in Hartford, sent this link to me this morning, I wanted to share it with you.
Some of Capital Prep’s sixth-graders spent yesterday at Starbase, “the Department of Defense-funded program that
teaches lessons in science, technology, engineering and math near Brainard Airport.” The kids spent the day making
and launching rockets, learning and having fun along the way. A Wonderful Day for Rocket Launching
This is just one of the many great things happening at Capital Prep.
While other kids are on vacation or hanging around the house, Capital Prep students, dressed in their school
uniforms, work on getting the best education that will help them go to college. Even if I weren’t married to the Assistant
Principal, I would be encouraged and proud of the work the kids, faculty and administration are doing.
Summer Learning At Starbase
Clubs & Organizations, Courant.com
Submitted by Melissa Vanek on 08-04-2008.
Small planes fly over the children's heads as a large black dragonfly flies
right by their faces as soon to be sixth graders explore the Brainard airport.
One group of children is lucky enough to be a part of the summer program at
STARBASE CT.
STARBASE CT offered a week-long program late in July to a group of 16 children entering sixth grade. During the
week, the participants had fun learning more about the possible careers in the STEM fields (science, technology,
engineering, and math).
The children learned about scientists while conducting some experiments of their own. They entered into an
inflatable planetarium and learned about the amazing mathematical patterns that connect their own DNA to the
spirals of the universe. They were even able to pretend they were astronauts and had to overcome a number of
obstacles, with the help of the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology.
Their week culminated with a fun-filled day exploring Brainard Airport, where STARBASE is located. They visited the
state police and saw their helicopter after a visit from the airport manager who demonstrated the fire truck's
abilities. They even had a chance to see how a flight simulator works at the Connecticut Flight Academy after a visit
from a pilot in the Connecticut Air National Guard. The children climbed the stairs of the air traffic control tower to
see the view and sat in three experimental planes owned by pilots who are a part of the Experimental Aircraft
Association. All of this while a blimp circled overhead; even the highly energetic children went home tired that day.
Jenny Lopez, a parent of one of the participants, said, "This program was extremely beneficial for the kids. They
didn't even realize how much they were learning, but I did each time my daughter came home and told me about her
day."
The STARBASE program is funded by the Department of Defense and the main program occurs during the school
year for fifth grade students. All of the fifth grade students in East Hartford's public schools participate in the
academic program designed to increase the knowledge and skills of the students in the STEM fields. There is a
second site located in Waterbury. The STARBASE community consists of 60 academies across the country, Puerto
Rico and the District of Columbia.
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
