Last summer changed my life. At the time I did not know it. Going to the Go For Launch! event at Mars was initially way out of my comfort zone. I did not know anyone there so I was paired with four kids from different schools. However, the challenges were so much fun and I slowly became closer and closer with my teammates. I remember building our huge launchpad. Ours was the tallest.
I also remember playing mini golf on that tiny course and getting my ball stuck in the puddle of water. I meticulously designed and colored our patch when we finally agreed on our team name.
We all had such different life experiences, ideas, and skill sets which made us the perfect team. We never really argued but worked through the problems presented to us by being open minded and willing to try new things. It gave me insight into my future of potentially working with other talented people that I have never met before. We quickly became good friends and still keep in touch no matter how busy we all get.
Our experiment shines as a representation of all of our curiosity and ideas collaborating to help the future of space. Not only did I have a blast getting to meet people just like me with different experiences, but I got the amazing opportunity to present our ideas in front of an astronaut. Winning the competition was a surreal experience. I couldn’t believe it when she announced that the Cosmic Critters were selected as the Go For Launch! Winners.
It was when I saw my picture in the newspaper beside astronaut Wendy that I finally believed that it really happened. I could’ve never imagined that our experiment would be flying to space in a week. I would have never believed it. Some people never get their ideas sent to space in their whole lifetime.
Throughout this whole process, I have felt so grateful to the Higher Orbits family and the extraordinary opportunities that the Go For Launch! program has given me. It has been so exciting getting to be a part of the zoom meetings and the brainstorming in the group chat about our experiment. I have been so blessed with being a part of this special team of extremely talented people.
I can not wait to watch our experiment unfold. Even though I do not have the capabilities to see it launch in person, I will be along for the journey all the way and use the data from our experiment to help future space exploration. I can not wait for this next step! I am ready to blast off! Thank you Higher Orbits for everything!
Written By Stellar Student Emily Cornish, Team Cosmic Critters, Winners of Go For Launch! Mars 2024
