STARBASE: The laws of motion
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on June 29, 2018 5:50 AM
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Hunter Thornton, Jackson Geer and Kayden Nanalea watch as Eggbird, their second egg of the day, heads down the zipline toward the impact point during STARBASE camp at Greenwood Middle School. The "Trouble in Space" experiment taught the rising fifth-graders about the laws of motion.
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Jackson Geer celebrates after Eggbird survived the crash with only a crack.
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Caroline Walker crosses her fingers as she and Elizabeth Breck watch their spaceship near the end of the zipline during the laws of motion experiment during STARBASE camp.
Eggbert the egg sits strapped into his wooden rocket, and prepares for the ride of his life.
With a pipe-cleaner harness, a strip of tape and a bottle cap helmet for safety, Eggbert's steely gaze belies the clear and present danger he finds himself in. Having placed his survival in the hands of three rising fifth-graders, it might make sense to question Eggbert's judgement, but he doesn't blink as his rocket begins to take off.
This is STARBASE, after all. No room for cowards here.
Eggbert's journey, and several others like it, were part of the annual STARBASE camp at Greenwood Middle the week of June 25, where military and non-military children alike got the chance to learn about science. The egg drop took place during the Laws of Motion course, one of four classes which make up the camp. For this class, students tried to keep an egg from cracking while atop a wooden rocket replica sliding down a zipline.
Caroline Walker, Elisabeth Breck and Braxton Hooks, all 10 years old, worked diligently to make sure their Eggbert made it home in one piece. Nestling him safely in a bed of cotton balls, they secured Eggbert with a single pipe cleaner and a liberal application of tape, topped off with the signature bottle cap helmet.
"We've been working on this for maybe 10 or 15 minutes," Caroline said, pointing to the helmet. "That's our favorite part."
Despite that, tragedy struck the operation before the rockets had even left the ground when one of the groups accidentally dropped their Eggbert on the floor, ending his spacefaring career before it began.
Kristen Acorn, third-grade teacher at Northeast Elementary, grabbed a new egg, which the group in question quickly christened Eggbird. The black sheep of the family, perhaps.
Before long, it was time to launch. The class took up positions outside near the improvised zipline and, one by one, hooked their rockets up for testing. The first group set up their rocket and watched as it slid down the rope and crashed into the metal pole at the end with a hollow thud.
Eggbert didn't so much as flinch. And not a crack to be found.
That theme continued for the other teams, as each successive Eggbert made the journey safely. For Eggbird, the trip was a bit rougher. His rocket hit the pole with a vengeance, and he was flung free of the cockpit, crashing to the ground supported only by an errant string of tape. Even after such a mishap, Eggbird made it out OK, with only a minor crack to show for it.
The amateur astronauts were not the only members of STARBASE throughout the week. Fifty-three rising fifth-graders were spread across four classes, including Laws of Motion, Rocket Building, Compass Reading and Oceans of Air, where students learned about the principles of flight. STARBASE, which stands for Science and Technology Academy Reinforcing Basic Aviation and Space Education, operates through a partnership with Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, and the students frequently go to the base to learn about aviation hands-on.
Connie Atkinson has run the STARBASE camp for 28 years, ever since it first started in Wayne County. In that time, she has seen the camp change as opportunities on base have shifted.
"It's changed as the base has changed," she said. "Just depending on what the base has available, we're able to go and do that."
Those opportunities have included tours of base facilities, trips to the base's jet simulator and up-close looks at other aviation technology that SJAFB airmen use to keep their weapons systems up and running.
STARBASE is a known quantity for parents in Wayne County and beyond, Atkinson said, and demand is high. Atkinson pulled out a folder with the names of people who have already declared interest in having a spot in the camp once their children are old enough. Thumbing through the pages, it was clear that people want STARBASE as much as ever -- the requests go as far forward as 2028.