| 6/4/2009 10:59:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| OUT OF THIS WORLD — Fort Atkinson native Curt Peternell was a guest visitor on a virtual tour of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston with students from Rockwell Elementary School on Tuesday. The fourth- and fifth-grade students “visited” the center by utilizing new technology called a Polycom, which is similar to a webcam. The students were able to interact with Peternell and educational specialist Erin McKinley by asking questions and hearing lessons about the NASA facility and life in space. — Daily Union photo by James Debilzen |
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Fort pupils visit Peternell on NASA 'fieldtrip'
By James Debilzen
Union staff writer
New technology has taken a handful of classes in the School District of Fort Atkinson on virtual fieldtrips to faraway places.
On Tuesday, fourth- and fifth-grade students at Rockwell Elementary School visited the Johnson Space Center in Houston, the control center for all space shuttle and space station missions and where astronauts are trained.
Using an interactive device called a Polycom, which uses technology similar to a webcam, education specialist Erin McKinley of NASA's Digital Learning Network interacted with the students through lessons on space exploration and preparing astronauts for life outside the planet.
But the pupils also had a chance to chat with Fort Atkinson native Curt Peternell, who works at the Johnson Space Center.
Peternell highlighted his experiences in Fort Atkinson and talked about his duties with NASA, in addition to answering questions from the students.
"I started in Fort Atkinson," Peternell said.
He told the youngsters that he began kindergarten at Barrie Elementary School and went to grade school at St. Joseph Catholic School. He attended J.F. Luther Middle School, now Luther Elementary, and graduated from Fort Atkinson High School in 1996.
"During that time, I found I really enjoyed the science classes and I really enjoyed the math classes I was taking," Peternell said. "It became clear that engineering was a field I wanted to study in college."
After high school, Peternell went to Purdue University in Indiana and studied mechanical engineering for five years.
"After that, I started working down here as an instructor for the astronauts and also as a flight controller to control the International Space Station thermal and electrical systems," Peternell said.
Peternell said his duties vary on a day-to-day basis, depending on what the astronauts are being trained to do. Much of the training takes place in a large warehouse-type building just outside the Digital Learning Network studio from which he was speaking that contains mock-ups of the space station and space shuttle.
"They're real life, same size on the space station and similar sizes for the shuttle," he said. "We bring the crew over here and we allow them to run through different scenarios and basically role play what it would be like when they go up to the space station or fly on the shuttle."
But the astronauts also have a rigorous studying routine.
"Believe it or not, even when you're an astronaut, you have to do your homework and you have to pass your tests," Peternell said, drawing audible groans from the students.
"We teach the astronauts very much like your teacher teaches you. At the end of the training, they're given some tests to see if they remember everything they need to remember."
Peternell told the students he was speaking to on Tuesday that they are the next generation of space exploration.
"You guys are at an exciting age," Peternell said. "You will be the people who go to the Moon and go to Mars discovering many, many things. Your children will probably read about you in history books and see you at museums."
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