Adriana Lape, 10, of Lutz Elementary, builds her model rocket during Blast Camp at Vanguard Career Center in Fremont.(Photo: Craig Shoup/The News-Messenger)Buy Photo

FREMONT - Local students had a blast this week learning about space travel at a summer camp at Vanguard Career Center in Fremont.

The theme for the four-day "Blast Camp," according to Vanguard AssistantPrincipal Clay Frye, was space.

Frye said 95 students, entering grades five through eight from local schools, were able to attend free of charge, thanks to a $20,000 grant obtained bythe United Way of Sandusky County.

The camp was broken into seven mini camps offering students an opportunity to learn about NASA and what it takes to travel in space.

"The first thing we asked the kids is what they think it takes to send a rocket into space," Frye said. "Most said fuel, or a rocket. It's not just a countdown and a push of a button,but some didn't realize it takes engineers, welders and mechanics to launch a rocket."

Many of the jobs needed to build, send and maintain rockets in space are skilled trades that can be learned at schools like Vanguard, whichspecialize in skilled trade programs such as engineering, robotics and mechanical skills that it takes to build rockets.

Brooklyn Holland, 11, from Stamm Elementary, works on calculating her body weight in zero gravity.(Photo: Craig Shoup/The News-Messenger)

In one group, students were given the controls to fly a drone through a course and landon a pad, to would simulate what NASA is using to send drones into spacerather than more dangerous and expensive manned space flight.

Austin Dix, a 17-year-old Gibsonburg High School student, showed campers how to operate the drone, and thenhow to navigate through obstacles before landing the craft.

"NASA is using drones a lot on Mars, and here we are teaching them the basics of how to fly drones," Dix said.

JennieMcCoy, a medical career teacher at Vanguard, taught students about zero gravityand the effects it has on astronauts.

"When there is no gravity, all the liquids move up from your feet to your head," McCoy said. "Your head swells, your tongue swells and youlose your taste buds."

Students Parker Zelns, 11, Natalie Frye, 11 and Virginia DaBrunz, 11, are blindfolded and pinch their nose to simulate the lack of taste buds in zero gravity. Vanguard teacher Jenny McCoy administers the test with salty, sweet and sour tastes.(Photo: Craig Shoup/The News-Messenger)

McCoy had the students blindfolded, their noses pinched and drop different tastes like salty, sweet and sour on the students' tongues to see if students could taste what they were swallowing.

The summer camp is the first at Vanguard, something Frye said he would like to continue in the future.

"We've hosted winter camps for the last three years and we really want to do a summer camp each year," Frye said.

The camp would continue educating students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, orSTEM courses,and coincide with programs offered to students at Vanguard.

"A lot of these aren't aware of what we offer, so we are trying to expose them to these careers and the education that they can get at Vanguard," Frye said.

cshoup@gannett.com

419-334-1035

Twitter: @CraigShoupNH

Grace Waltermier, 11, is assisted by drone instructor Austin Dix on how to fly and land a drone. Dix said NASA is using drones more than ever to save money on exploring space by using unmanned aircraft.(Photo: Craig Shoup/The News-Messenger)

Read or Share this story: http://ohne.ws/2sDTgLR

Read the rest here:

'Blast Camp' gives students lessons on space travel - Fremont News Messenger