The Viking Patrol met with scientist Adrienne Russo at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying.
Scouts from Palisades-based Troop 223 got a masterclass in aerospace engineering when they met with retired rocket scientist Adrienne Russo. The Viking Patrol met her outside Santa Monica’s Museum of Flying on February 28.
Russo was a principal engineer/scientist at LinQuest, that worked in advanced and rocket-related projects.
Scout Emmett Haggenmiller said, “One of the most interesting things we learned from the scientist was that NASA is planning to set up a base on the moon as early as 2028.”
They also found out that “In the next 50 years that there will be a manned mission to Mars,” Haggenmiller said.
The meeting was a way to provide real-world context for the Scouts as they towards their Space Exploration Badge.
So far, the Scouts have built and launched a model rocket during a campout in a campout in the desert near Joshua Tree.
They’ve designed an inhabited base that could be located on the moon, and they are designing a robotic mission to another plant – and back.
To receive this merit badge, Scouts are required to tell the purpose of space exploration and cite historical reasons and benefit for the earth; design a collectors card with a favorite space pioneer; build, launch and recover a model rocket; identify nine different rocket parts; discuss and demonstrate “Basics of Space Flight;” design a robotic mission to another planet; describe the purpose and operation of a space shuttle; and explore careers related to this merit badge.
If the Viking Patrol is any indication of the youth in the United States, the future of the country’s space program will be in good hands.
