RECAP WRITTEN BY WESTERN CANADA'S 2024 DELEGATE

MACKENZIE HANSON

Hello! I am Mackenzie Hanson and I am writing to share my experience as the Western Canadian delegate for United Space School 2024.

United Space School was an incredible experience that not only fostered learning, but a tight knit community of like minded individuals. This year that community was composed of 45 individuals including myself from all over the world. As students, we not only had the opportunity to tackle a difficult challenge, but also had plenty of time to grow close with other students and learn from individuals in the aerospace industry. Not only did this program excite me for what my future could look like, but also helped narrow down my specific interests I would like to pursue.

The goal of our mission at school was to successfully bring humans to Mars, keeping them alive for 90 days, and safely delivering them back to Earth. As a collective, we had the opportunity to debate and vote upon certain mission parameters, such as what type of propulsion we would use and when in the future it would be set. As you can imagine, the entire mission is daunting to take on in its entirety, so we were split into five groups. The blue team was responsible for scientific goals and exploration on Mars. The green team focused on the habitat and what would be necessary to keep the crew alive. The maroon team, which I was selected for, focused on designing a human lander that could both safely land and propel off of the surface. The red team worked out the orbital mechanics and designed the transit vehicle from Earth to the Martian orbit. Finally, the yellow team focused on funding, budgeting, and working around the bonds of UNOOSA’s space law. While each piece is important on its own, it was impossible to successfully complete our task without thorough communication. While it was frustrating at times, learning how to compromise and work with others was a skill that I know will be carried into all aspects of life. We were also taught to hone our public speaking skills through our final presentations in front of a panel of experts who asked us questions. It was difficult, but I was proud of my quick-witted answers to difficult inquiries. At the end we all had to present a song and dance, and our group chose “Just the Two of Us” which we renamed “Just the Nine of Us” to fit our group. 

While the majority of time was spent on mission work, there were a multitude of lectures the first week from people involved in the aerospace industry. From engineers in a number of fields to astrophysicists and scientists, I was able to learn about the industry from a variety of perspectives. My favourite lecture was about MOXIE, or the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, a system to purify oxygen on Mars using its carbon dioxide rich atmosphere. This lecture was engaging and interesting, delving into the intricacies of the device and the lecturer even had pieces we were able to observe ourselves! This lecture sparked an interest in chemical engineering, a field I previously misunderstood but now have found a great interest in. The other lectures were just as engaging and tackled topics such as how space suits work, the goals of the Artemis program, and the history of spaceflight.

The most valuable part of the program was the community I got to be a part of and continue to be a part of! We weren’t just busy at school, but outside of school as well. I got the chance to participate in a plethora of activities to strengthen the bond between the students. My favourite activity was the pool party! One of the students representing Wales was cooking sausage in the corner for everyone while we all played a giant game of volleyball. It was a wonderful, energetic night and I loved every second. On nights where there was nothing planned by the school, we would experience Texas with our host family. These nights were just as fun and ranged from getting cozy after school and watching ‘Legally Blonde’ to getting an adrenaline rush from the amusement park at Kemah Boardwalk. Sometimes these nights were just with your host family and others were coordinated with other students. For example, we all went to see a baseball game even though it wasn’t a school planned event!

There was also a festival called the Culture Faire where each group of students performed and cooked something related to their country. As a Canadian, it is difficult to define what Canada’s culture is as the nation is built on multiculturalism. Because of this, I focused on that aspect and focused on my Italian heritage, highlighting the wide range of people who call Canada home! I cooked lasagna and sang a song from the musical “Hadestown,” a now Broadway hit that made its original debut in Edmonton! I was stunned by the performances of other students and am grateful to have been exposed to so many cultures, not just at the faire, but at school every day.

After the two weeks, which managed to go by extremely fast, all the teams presented their work in front of a panel of experts in the aerospace industry. This included a presentation and model of our work made out of trash. It was incredibly rewarding to share our hard work in front of everyone and I still couldn’t be more proud of my team. The panel asked a series of questions after the presentation we got no preparation for, and our team did a wonderful job of answering. I was especially proud of my answer to a question regarding the cost comparison of our mission and the Apollo program, which my mentor correctly guessed they would ask when we were preparing! After the questions, we cooled down with our song parody of “Just the Two of Us” which we changed to “Just the Nine of Us” to fit our team.

The next day after the presentations we graduated, and it was a bittersweet day. Until United Space School, I have never felt so connected to a group of people. Everybody had something in common: a shared love for space, but beyond that every single person was wonderful, kind, and offered something they could teach me. I met compassionate people who I aspire to be like and individuals who are intimidatingly smart who taught me all about physics and orbital mechanics. Graduation was a moment I felt incredibly proud of, not just of myself, but everybody in my class. Along with the standard certificate, there are also five Texan flags awarded to the standout members of each group and two American flags for the valedictorian of the assignments and the “above and beyond” student. Through my hard work, I earned the “above and beyond” award and am so grateful to be recognized in a room that was full of incredible people. Following the graduation, we had a giant karaoke night and I sang “City of Stars” from La La Land with one of my best friends! It was my favourite night, even though it ended with a lot of tears from all the students saying their final goodbyes. I wish I could go back and stay forever, but all good things must come to an end! Thank you so much to the Hangar Flight Museum for this amazing opportunity. This program not only solidified my interest in this industry, but exposed me to amazing people and ideas. I urge anybody interested to apply for this life changing experience!