The
"SPACE
EXPLORERS" astronaut
team in the Space Shuttle is responsible for control of the flight and all the
operations and experiments while in orbit. The "SPACE
EXPLORERS" Mission
Control team members have primary responsibility for the safety of the Space
Shuttle crew and the safe operation of the Space Shuttle. They have access to
information and operational conditions that the Space Shuttle crew may not
have. Therefore, the successful "flying" of a mission will rest upon
the effective communication between all members of the "TEAM".
Mission Control team members, including the Flight Director, CAPCOM, and the Simulation Director monitor the Space Shuttle progress and using the
"SPACE EXPLORERS" Learning Principles, keep the crew informed of the mission’s progress. Mission Control is the crew’s link to help should a problem arise while on the ground, in flight, on the Space Shuttle itself, with a crewmember, or with an in-flight experiment or satellite launch.
"SPACE EXPLORERS"
will first perform training missions that may be paused and are not scored. These lead to timed nominal, or normal "flights". As their skill levels increase, they experience advanced high intensity simulation "flights" where emergencies are introduced and proper interpretation of flight parameters is key to a successful, high scoring flight. As students increase their ability to use their "SPACE EXPLORERS" Learning Principles, the dynamics and efficiency within their team will increase. This will be reflected in efficient communication between the Space Shuttle crew and their associated Mission Control Support Team and is directly measurable by the automatic flight scoring provided by the Flight Computer. Students will see their scores improve as they practice the "SPACE EXPLORERS" Learning Principles and become more cohesive as a "TEAM".The
"SPACE EXPLORERS" program acknowledges that not only do students enjoy a challenge and hands-on learning, but also they are particularly motivated by competition. "SPACE EXPLORERS" teams can compete against each other for rankings based on the scores they obtain with the program.