Laura's launching into space

A Freemans Bay maths teacher is over the moon about her upcoming trip to space camp in Alabama, as Kieran Nash discovers.
Laura Leman is embarking on her own space odyssey. The 24-year-old St Mary's College maths teacher has won a place at the US Space and Rocket Centre in Huntsville, Alabama.
Out of 220 teachers from 19 countries, she's the sole New Zealand representative. When she found out she had a place in the camp she was more than surprised.
"I think I burst into tears. The best response was from my grandad. He's really passionate about space and education. He's a bit jealous," she says.
Miss Leman's students share some of the same feelings. "I had a number of girls go 'Miss, that's so unfair'!"
The camp starts on June 17.
"It's 45 hours of professional development shoved into five days. There's classroom stuff and we get to do some astronaut training."
This includes the same basic training NASA astronauts are put through to  prepare for space travel. The campers do all sorts of simulations, such as repairing a satellite,  experiencing weightless environments and being spun in a multi-axis trainer, which simulates the sensations astronauts feel in a tumbling aircraft or spaceship.
"There's a one-sixth gravity simulator, so it's similar to walking on the moon."
Aside from simulation and training-based lessons, Miss Leman says there is also "some classroom stuff".
Set exercises have the campers  looking at toys in space, rocket construction, and studying how to live and work in space.
They will also have to design a perfect Mars lander and design ways to garden in space. There is a focus on bringing back what she has learned and sharing it with others, says Miss Leman says.
"That's probably why I was chosen."
Since far fewer women  than men study engineering,  Miss Leman hopes to convince more girls to think about it as a career.
"[Space camp] also asks how I'd encourage future engineers and scientists in the classroom. I've already had some kids come and talk to me about it.
"It makes me think about how I grow professionally. I want to encourage kids to have fun in the classroom, and teachers, too."
Space cadets
Space camp is at the United States Space and Rocket Centre in Huntsville, Alabama. It opened in 1970, with the first space camp  in 1982.
More than half a million people have attended and more than 15 million have visited the centre. Its museum houses hundreds of artefacts, including the charred Apollo 16 command module.
The centre offers camps to schoolchildren, adults, companies, educators and courses for blind and deaf people.