Pine Ridge Elementary School Has a Memorable Memorial Day Weekend!

By: Brandt Secosh
May 27, 2000

Pine Ridge Elementary School teacher Mrs. Sharon Lea and her class came to visit Kennedy Space Center for the Memorial Day weekend. Mrs. Lea and her classes have been participating in the Virtual Science Mentor program for the past three years and it seemed fitting to honor their participation with a guided tour from Joe Delai and myself. During their participation with the VSM program, Mrs. Lea and her students have documented their progress and activities using the web. Please feel free to visit the sites they created and explore what the VSM program has brought to their class.

After a long four hour drive the Pine Ridge students arrived at the KSC Visitors Center at 10:30 in the morning  and enjoyed the exhibits at the Visitors Center. At 12:30 Joe and I met the class and took them around the launch complex area to show them some rare sites of KSC. We began with the Space Station Processing Facility where the students enjoyed a short introductory film. Afterwards the got a feel of what the Space Station modules look like by visiting a mock space station. The next stop was the real thing! The students observed actual space station components and modules in the highbay of the SSPF. Next we visited the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The students were amazed by the size and volume of the VAB. To really appreciate the size of this building you have to stand inside it.

The next stop was the highlight of the tour - the launchpad. The students had plenty of questions as we made our way around the perimeter of Launchpad 39 A. They were amazed when we stopped the bus and everybody made their way out to the flame trench for a group photograph. The flame trench is where the exhaust from the Solid Rocket Boosters and the main engines are directed during launch. The flame trench at ground level is 490 feet long, 58 feet wide and 40 feet high. It is made of concrete and refractory brick. In the photograph you can see the flame deflector that is used to protect the trench during launch. The orbiter flame deflector is fixed and is 38 feet high, 72 feet long and 57.6 feet wide. The deflector weighs 1.3 million pounds! In the Second photograph the students are looking at the Fixed Service Structure. During launch, the Mobile Launch Platform would be just above the flame trench with the orbiter on top of it. To learn more about the launch pad please join us for our final web cast of the school year. During the web cast you will have the opportunity to ask your own questions! Next we made our way to the Saturn Apollo Facility where we took shelter from the hot day and enjoyed movies refreshments. Our tour ended back at the Visitors Center where Joe and I wished everyone well and thanked them for visiting KSC. The Pine Ridge students were not through yet! They still had two more hours until their scheduled departure. As Joe and I walked away we saw them rushing into the Visitors Center to enjoy more of the space programs past, present and future.

On this special day we would like to pay tribute to all that have served in the defense of our country and our way of life. Happy Memorial Day to all!