Wico. Co. teacher gets astronaut training

Have you ever looked up at the stars and wondered what it’s like to be an astronaut, well Wicomico County teacher John Reichenberg did as a kid – little did he know that one day he’d actually find out.   

By virtue of the Honeywell Educators at Space Academy program more than 200 teachers from all around the world, including Reichenberg, got the chance to train at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Alabama.

By the end of camp Reichenberg, a high school science teacher at Choices Academy, was blown away.

“You’re around 200 other educators and people who are just as passionate as you are about technology and science and passing information on it really takes you to the next level. So I got so much more out of it than I ever expected and I expected a lot,” Reichenberg said.

At camp each team was assigned 14 members, each member was given a position and for Reichenberg it was realization of a childhood dream. He got to be the pilot.

“Top gun was one of my favorite movies so it was one of those…I wanted to be that guy. So I was really excited to get the pilot job,” Reichenberg told 47 ABC.

The pilot job was not an easy task Reichenberg said, but the view in the simulator was breathtaking.

 “Out the window I saw the earth and I saw the moon and I saw the space station and you can look out the bay doors open and you could see all those things. It’s a real shuttle simulation and it was just an amazing experience,” he said.

Reichenberg said the image of NASA is misunderstood and that despite cutting our rocket program NASA is far from being obsolete.

(There’s a thought) that NASA’s kind of the past space leader and I found that is definitely not the case. That nasa is alive and well and got a lot of good plans for the futureand I hope to be a little more involved with them,” Reichenberg said.

Reichenberg said he is already planning to use his experience for more hands-on learning, for example having students build devices that land with parachutes.

He also said he thinks if every science teacher had the same experience that would translate into a lot more students being interested in STEM subjects.

Those who are interested in the Honeywell Educators at Space Academy program can click here.