Have a blast at the festival

Dream Mission space shuttle makes its first voyage here

By VICKI STEVENS
Staff Writer

Visitors to the Great American Brass Band Festival can experience the thrill of space travel without ever leaving the ground.

Thanks to the efforts of BellSouth, festival-goers this year will have a chance to board the Dream Mission space shuttle, a replica of the real thing.

``It's the first time it's been in Danville, and we're excited,'' said Greg Coker, local spokesman for BellSouth, the corporate sponsor for Dream Mission.

The shuttle will be set up on Walnut Street between College and Fifth streets and will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free, but you must obtain a ticket in advance at the site.

Launched in the spring of 1998, Dream Mission travels to schools as part of an educational curriculum aimed at sparking student interest in math and science, as well as future careers in technology.

Just last month, the shuttle was featured on the National Mall outside the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

The shuttle stands 63 feet long, nearly 30 feet high, and has a wingspan of almost 40 feet. It carries 100 times more computing power than the actual space shuttle.

BellSouth, which is committed to education and preparing students to make the transition from school to career, was able to bring the shuttle to Danville.

``The reason we're bringing it to the Great American Brass Band Festival is, simply from a BellSouth perspective, we like to partner with communities and festivals like the Great American Brass Band Festival to assist in the influencing of children as they make career choices related to math and science,'' said Coker.

``The basic principle of Dream Mission is to use something as exciting as a replica of the space shuttle to influence school children and students as they start to make class selections and class choices as they enter middle school and high school.''

Dream Mission shows students the connection between what they're learning in school and the world of work.

Coker said the GABBF has grown to be one of the best festivals and events in the country, and BellSouth likes to partner with the very best.

``BellSouth is committed to Danville/Boyle County. We're committed to the Great American Brass Band Festival. Although we're a $22 billion company, international, all across the world, we feel like our strength is that we think locally and act globally.''

Dream Mission can accommodate about 80 visitors every half hour. To eliminate long waits to get in, tickets are for specific times and will be distributed as long as they are available. The mini missions aboard the shuttle last five or six minutes.

On Thursday, Elderhostel participants will get to try out the shuttle, and on Friday it will be used by more than 200 local students for longer, extended missions.

Kathy Belcher, director of the Danville/Boyle County Community Education Program, said students from the Bate and Boyle County middle school summer programs, STARS summer program, YMCA, and Leadership Academy will participate. Most will get to do a 20- or 30-minute mission.

Individual computer stations on the shuttle allow students to take part in a simulated space exercise. The ``crew'' must work together to retrieve and repair a damaged satellite, then restore it to orbit - and return to Earth as heroes.

Real-life NASA astronauts give commands from a 5-foot video wall at the front of the spacecraft.

Students are greeted by Ground Control and talked through the power-up process. Then they experience blast-off, and once in orbit, are taught to e-mail other crew members with the system in the shuttle.

Students use the mechanical arm to retrieve and repair the satellite, and in the process are presented with life-threatening problems. The crew is helped through the problems by on-board flight instructors.
Dream Mission was created by the Jackson Foundation, a non-profit organization whose aim is to enhance learning through motivation.

``All you have to do is watch the faces of the children as they board the Dream Mission space shuttle to know something extraordinary is happening. They are enthusiastic, they are engaged, and they are challenged,'' said Douglas Jackson, president and executive director of the Jackson Foundation.

``Most of them never dreamed that the application of physics and math could be so much fun.''

To learn more about the Dream Mission space shuttle, log on to www.dreammission.org or www.jacksonfoundation.org.