"There's a lot we haven't discovered:" Brevard students participate in astronaut training

NASA astronaut and former Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana stood in front of 24 Brevard County students — some possibly future astronauts themselves — on Tuesday and encouraged them to never give up on their dreams.

The Brevard students were winners of a voluntary essay competition, open to all K-12 students in Brevard, that centered around the question: “Why do you want to be an astronaut?" The grand prize, which these students won: participate in the Astronaut Training Experience (ATX) at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in a group experience led by Cabana.

“I never dreamed I could be an astronaut," Cabana told the students. "I held astronauts to the highest standard. But, I wanted to fly airplanes."

Cabana talked about his time in the United States Naval Academy and journey to becoming a naval test pilot. It took him more than one application before being selected to be an astronaut, he said.

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Cabana reflects on becoming a NASA astronaut

Cabana flew on four shuttle flights and is best known for being one of the first humans to enter the International Space Station in 1998. He served as KSC director before being selected to serve as the associate administrator of NASA from 2021 until his retirement last December.

“If you got something you want to do, don’t give up,” Cabana said to the students. “It’s not just being an astronaut. We have so many cool jobs at NASA, and with contractors who help build spacecraft.”

Brevard County students who won the competition

Around 60 students from Brevard County participated in the open competition. A committee judged the essays based on enthusiasm and interest and selected 24 winners.

The 24 winning students were from the following schools: Freedom 7 Elementary, Palm Bay Magnet High School, Gemini Elementary, Audubon Elementary, West Shore Junior/Senior High School, West Melbourne School for Science, Surfside Elementary, Viera High School, Viera Elementary, Manatee Elementary, Williams Elementary, Suntree Elementary, Columbia Elementary, Johnson Middle School, Indialantic Elementary, and Lewis Carroll Elementary.

Robin Ward, grant coordinator of the Brevard Schools Foundation told FLORIDA TODAY, “We are the Space Coast. We want to encourage from an early age, even starting out in kindergarten, building that pipeline of talented future aerospace industry workers and get them in the workforce”.

The Astronaut Training Experience

The ATX experience was created by a partnership between Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and Lockheed Martin in 2018. The attraction recently saw an upgrade to its simulators, which included updated visuals and the ability to select levels of difficulty.

These students were among the first group to try the upgrade.

Some students worked in mission control communicating with and instructing those who participated in simulated spacewalks. Simulated space missions included a space station spacewalk in simulated microgravity, a Mars Walk, and a Mars Rover expedition; the latter two using the power of VR to immerse the student in the experience.

The students also had the opportunity to fly on a simulated Artemis launch in a mockup Orion spacecraft.

While the groups of students worked together on their missions, Cabana stopped by to offer some professional astronaut guidance. He described the experience as a "great analogy" to astronaut activities, noting the importance of teamwork.

Brevard students dream of space

FLORIDA TODAY spoke with three students who had the top scores on the essay.

Eleven-year-old Rania Ray is a sixth grader at West Melbourne School for Science. She said her interest in space exploration was sparked by curiosity about the “vast expanse of space”. “There’s a lot we haven’t discovered,” Rania said.

She's not sure she wants to be an astronaut but might be interested in a role supporting astronauts.

“I’m fortunate to have this experience to see if there’s something related to space that can help me in my future career," she said.

Hazel Rose, 11, is a fifth grader at Freedom 7 Elementary. She spoke with FLORIDA TODAY after finishing a Mars Rover simulator. She describes herself as a frequent visitor to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. She wants to be an astronaut not only to help people learn about space, but to inspire others.

“I want to go to Mars, and then inspire others to come too,” Hazel said.

Meanwhile, Eleven-year-old Gwen Nelson , a fifth grader from Audubon Elementary stood nearby. “There are so many cool things in the atmosphere…in space that you can discover.” Gwen said her future ambitions may include going to Mars to search for life.

Who can participate in the AXT Astronaut Training Experience?

The experience is open to visitors to the Visitor Complex as an add on experience to daily admission. The only requirement is that one must be in good physical condition. The cost is $175. Admission to the visitor complex is $65 for children ages 3-11, and $75 for ages 12-plus.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NASA astronaut addresses Brevard students at Kennedy Space Center