This summer I was one of a lucky few people to get chosen out of over four hundred applicants to attend U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, from July 15 through 20.

This memorable experience was part of a scholarship program I learned about from SBP Chemistry Teacher Dr. Dennis Lansang. When I attended the dinner for the accepted applicants, I expected the dinner to be mostly the sponsors talking about the basic activities one would expect from Space Camp. However, I was surprised to see last year’s Space Camp attendees come up to speak about their experiences. This also gave me the opportunity to meet my “future” teammates for space camp.

Some activities I really enjoyed were the Model Rocket Launches, Scuba Diving lesson, and the Flight Simulator. Scuba diving was exciting because we were able to breathe underwater — always a dream of mine. During our Model Rocket Launches, we were able to launch rockets we made ourselves. This was a proud moment for me to see something I had made up in the sky. The flight simulator was especially entertaining because at the end we got to shoot each other down.

If I were to choose one thing that I loved the most, it was meeting up with a long lost friend. I remember seeing his father and having a strong sense of familiarity, but I just could not figure out where it was coming from. So, I finally asked his dad if he coached for a baseball team, and he said yes.  It turned out we played on the same team. He was on my baseball team when I was in the 7th grade and now he was on my team at Space Camp.