Just before the Christmas break, I was lucky enough to go on what can only be described as the best trip Sevenoaks has to offer; the Year 10 Physics trip to Orlando, Florida.
We probably visited every single theme park one could in Florida – from Universal Studio’s Island of Adventure, to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT and even SeaWorld. We even completed an Astronaut Training Experience at Kennedy Space Centre; including an extended bus tour out to view the two launch pads which have become famous for SpaceX launches in the last year; indoor skydiving at iFly, and also fun evenings including an escape room, comedy show and visiting an indoor interactive science experience.
Having never really been on a rollercoaster before, I had some apprehensions. However, after completing the Physics programme at Universal Studios which reinforced concepts of energy transformations during the rides, I was able to experience the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket – which included a near 90° drop to the sound of ABBA’s Waterloo – it was amazing. I was impressed to experience that most rides were themed to a specific show or film; for example, one of my favourite – the VelociCoaster – told the story that you were being taken on a tour of Jurassic Park. Or the Hulk, where you were launched to 40mph in 2 seconds and experienced up to 4g, as if the Hulk himself was throwing you! We were also incredibly lucky to be taken behind the scenes at Universal Studios, where our tour guide explained how engineers use different movements of the rides to cause accelerations, tricking the mind and body into thinking we’re travelling much faster than we actually were. As part of this, we were able to visit the Spiderman ride, an indoor attraction with 3D effects. We rode with the lights on first, and then with the lights off and also saw the engineers working on the carts behind the scenes.
Being in Florida, there was one thing we could not miss: NASA. So, on the next day, we drove down to Cape Canaveral for the Astronaut Training Experience (ATX). This consisted of Mars rover simulations, a VR experience, a simulation of a full rocket launch at launch control and a microgravity simulation where you experienced no (or very minimal) friction on a 2D plane and were tasked with repairing parts of the International Space Station.
After that, on the next day, we did an extended bus tour of Kennedy Space Centre (KSC). Led by a NASA communicator, we drove past launchpads 39A (owned by SpaceX) and B (launching the upcoming Artimis SLS missions), and the surrounding area which is a nature reserve. According to our guide, when building their headquarters here, NASA changed the telephone area code to be more fitting; 321, like a rocket launch countdown. The most famous building when you think of the Space Center is the Vehicle Assembly Building (or VAB). Built 3 miles away from the pads because during the early days of the Apollo program, if the Saturn V exploded on the launch pad, it would release the same energy as an atomic bomb! The building is the largest single-story building in the world – so big that it even has its own weather inside! It also has the largest American flag – the size of a basketball pitch, with the surface area on top of the complex large enough to house Madison Square Garden’s stadium in New York, plus room for extra parking spaces!
The last Space Shuttle, Atlantis was decommissioned in 2011 and now stands (intact) on display. Atlantis launched over 33 times, carrying 207 people over its 26 years of service, delivering cargo and people to the ISS – and we got to see it!
During our time at iFly, we learnt about terminal velocity – how it depends on the objects frontal area and mass of the object in relation to its terminal velocity. This culminated in a demonstration where objects such as different shaped balls and toys were placed inside a wind tunnel, and we had to predict which object would fly first. Of course, we all got to have a fly inside the wind tunnel too! Furthermore, at Disney we learnt about how electromagnets are used to accelerate and decelerate the rollercoasters and specifically how Disney engineers redesigned an elevator ride, the Hotel Tower of Terror, where the ride vehicle drop with a rate of acceleration greater than from gravity, giving the sensation of leaving your seat as you fell.
On our final day, we must have broken some sort of record for time spent in a theme park! Arriving at 09:00 and leaving just after 22:00; Epcot was the largest theme park I’ve been to. It has a World Showcase which spans most of the major countries in world and it was there we watched an incredible show of fireworks, a great way to finish the trip.
Overall, I had an amazing time, which cannot be fully described in words alone! I would urge, given the opportunity, for everyone to apply and truly; this is the best trip Sevenoaks has to offer.
Gabriel Lam, Y10
