An out-of-this world experience

BY GINNY PRIVITAR
WEST MILFORD — Have you ever wanted to be an astronaut, even for a day? Alex Metcalf, a junior at West Milford High School, got a taste of that experience and so much more, when he participated in Honeywell's Leadership Challenge Academy at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama recently.
The program is open to students ages 16 to 18, who are children of current Honeywell employees. Alex's dad, Tim Metcalf, works for Honeywell, so Alex submitted an essay on leadership and was one of 320 students from 45 countries and 27 states who was given the opportunity to participate in some of the same training simulations as NASA astronauts.
One of the more enjoyable activities, according to Alex, was flying a plane simulator. Students were divided into six teams and had to perform missions.
"We had to attack these bases, we were given coordinates, and had to try to keep team members alive," Alex said. A crash was not an option.
Alex also got to enjoy the feeling of simulated gravity on the moon. He noted it was difficult to walk; it was more like hopping.
Alex liked participating in team work and meeting people from other cultures. He exchanged email addresses with several international students he met while there.
"I really liked how wide an array of nationalities were there and it was really cool to experience those kinds of different cultures," he said.
Alex's mother, Jenn Metcalf, also appreciated the international aspect of the program Alex attended.
"It was impressive to learn the backgrounds of the students on Alex's team," she said. "There were three students from India, a young woman from Mexico, and a junior from Canada. The Austrian and the Russian students joined with students from Utah, Missouri, and New Jersey."
"We got to meet 'Hoot' Gibson," a former astronaut, Alex said, "He was, really, the man who flew everything; he was involved in flying planes, rockets. I shook his hand. He was very interesting."
What was the takeaway for Alex?
"I already kind of had an idea that I was going to go into engineering. I was leaning toward mechanical engineering." Alex said. "This camp kind of pushed me a little in the direction of aeronautical engineering. Both interest me."
One challenging engineering task was making a mini-heat shield out of copper, silver mesh and tinfoil that had to survive a Bunsen burner for three minutes. And there were rockets.
"We got to actually build rockets and code 'raspberry pies;' they're like a computer motherboard," Alex said. "We had to code it to be able to do a task — measure velocity and altitude." They also had to make sure the payload would survive on impact with a parachute.
One thing made quite an impression.
"I did like working as a team a lot — it was a new kind of leadership where everyone wanted to succeed," Alex said, "everyone wanted to work together."
As for his future, Alex is looking at Georgia Tech because of its excellent engineering school.
Dad Tim is a chemical engineer for Honeywell and Alex's mom is a history teacher at West Milford High School. Alex has two sisters, Sophia, 21, a college student, and younger sister Colette, 14.
Editor's Note: Robert Lee "Hoot" Gibson (Capt., USN, Ret.), is a former American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer, and a retired NASA astronaut, as well as a professional pilot.
For more information about public programs at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, visit http://www.rocketcenter.com/