Russell Elementary students heading to 'Space'

SMYRNA, Ga. - It’s been another intense year of training, and this week, the hard work pays off.  The Russell Space Team at Russell Elementary School in Cobb County is preparing for STS-18, an exciting day-long mission to "space.”

The Russell Space Team is made up of 4th and 5th graders who attend Russell Elementary School and have been selected after an application process.  Each year, the team trains for a simulated space mission, which involves students working in Mission Control and four student “astronauts” who man the shuttle simulator (the shuttle, by the way, is named “The Intrepid”).  The crews work together, communicating via UHF radio frequencies, for a total of 27 hours, from liftoff to landing.  As STS-18 implies, this is the 18th space mission for the Russell Space Team, under the direction of Mr. Chris Laster.

Good Day Atlanta’s Paul Milliken spent the morning at Russell Elementary School, talking with members of the space team as they prepared for this year’s launch.  And you can check out the live stream of this year’s mission on the team’s YouTube channel here!