It's a bird! ... It's a plane! .. No, it's a science teacher?
While his students were enjoying their summer vacations, Malverne High School science teacher Chris Brescia was learning how to fly.
Brescia, who teaches Earth Science and Marine Science at the high school, joined teachers from around the country in the Mojave Desert from July 30 to Aug. 3 for the Teachers in Space (TIS) Conference.
"It was awesome," Brescia said of the experience. "The Suborbital Astronautics Workshops gave teachers the opportunity to discover and learn about aeronautic/astronautics and spaceflight, while experiencing some of the training concepts that future space pilots will receive."
The workshops were held at the Mojave Desert Test Flight Airhanger near Palmdale, Calif. Expert instructors included former Shuttle Commander/Pilot and XCOR Aerospace Chief Test Pilot Col. Rick Searfoss (USAF-ret), Dr. Kurt Long NASA Ames - Wind Tunnel Expert and Pathfinders Maureen Adams and Lt. Col. Steve Heck (USAF-ret).
All the teachers had the chance fly in a Cessna Aircraft, a Glider and Simulator flights. They also learned about the Lynx suborbital spacecraft now under development by XCOR Aerospace.
Although Brescia couldn't bring his students with him to California, he was able to share the lessons he learned and his experiences including this video (see above), which he shot from inside a Glider while soaring over the Mojave Desert.
Do you know of a Malverne, Lynbrook or West Hempstead teacher you'd like to highlight in this column? Email Tara.Conry@patch.com.
