IRVINE : Camp Gets Fun Down to a Science

The softball field at Irvine Valley College became Mission Control on Thursday as about a dozen kids watched breathlessly as model rockets thundered into the air behind clouds of white smoke.

The children, enrolled in a weeklong science camp sponsored by the Science Discovery Center in Costa Mesa, took special pleasure in bellowing the famous countdown that proceeded each blastoff.

“Three, two, one. Whoa!” exclaimed Devin Barbieri, a 9-year-old Irvine boy, as he watched one rocket being launched. “They are so impressive. It’s amazing how high they go up.”

The college was just one stop in a fast-paced week of science activities that touched on everything from astronomy to physics. Also on Thursday, the group used laser beams to send coded messages to Mars as part of a program that is repeated weekly for the rest of the summer.

The rocket launch was supervised by IVC physics professor Roy McCord, who explained to the children the principles behind rocket power and how the assorted projectiles worked.

“This is a rocket launch, not a baseball game,” said a smiling McCord as the children swarmed around a rocket to examine it. Their spirits soared when rockets blasted off successfully. They sighed when one rocket malfunctioned, falling apart in the air.

“I’ve never seen a rocket before, and this is pretty cool,” said Tiffany Daniels, 13, of Costa Mesa. “My favorite is when the rocket goes up and stays together.”

Tiffany and the rest of the group had a busy week. They have identified constellations, stars and planets in a portable planetarium, learned about Greek and Native American myths and constructed biospheres using marshmallows, noodles and Ping-Pong balls.

On Thursday, each child sent a coded message to Mars by using the flashes of a laser. The laser images were sent into space through a telescope, said Janet Yamaguchi, director of education for the Discovery Science Center.

Among the message sent by children: “How are you doing?” and “How many rings does Saturn have?”