WEST HILLS : Students Take Their Parents to Space Age

Students welcomed their parents aboard the Bubble Blaster 2000, a giant plastic bubble made to simulate the inside of a spacecraft, to teach them about life as an astronaut.

The Bubble Blaster was part of a lesson in astronomy and space technology taught in instructor Shirley Hammer’s fifth-grade class at Hamlin Street Elementary School in West Hills.

All week long, the fifth-graders have guided their schoolmates through an astronaut training program.

On Thursday, it was the parents’ turn to be put to the test.

First, the physical fitness team led the parents through a series of calisthenic exercises and relay races to get them in shape for the bubble mission.

“It was grueling,” said Jon Scheuerman, whose daughter, Courtney, 10, is among the students in Hammer’s class.

After the workout, the parents were escorted one by one into the enormous bubble that had been constructed by the bubble-building team with the help of some kindergartners.

Once inside the structure, Bubble Commander Jessica Klein, 11, instructed the 30-odd parents to complete a series of tasks: In this case, the parents were given word puzzles.

“This shows them what it’s like to be on a mission,” Jessica said.

Along with the bubble project, the students have been preparing for a simulated mission in May at the AlliedSignalChallenger Learning Center.

The center is situated at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson and is funded by grants resulting from the Space Shuttle Challenger that blew up in 1986.

The center has a simulated mission control center and a simulated space station for schoolchildren to learn about the whole space travel experience, said Patricia Valdez, one of the center coordinators.

The youngsters participate first in a six-week preparatory program, and then after the mission have a three-week “debriefing,” Valdez said.

“This is not a game,” Valdez said.

“There’s a lot of stress involved,” she added, because the children are given full control of the mission and of the problems, such as simulated gas leaks, that can occur.