Schools
Schnecksville's Space Shuttle Blake is Air Show Bound
Parkland School District's Space Shuttle Blake will make an appearance at the Lehigh Valley Air Show at Lehigh Valley International Airport next month.
By Tom DeMartini
Schnecksville Elementary School's Space Shuttle Blake will come out of
hiding next month and make an appearance at the Lehigh Valley Air Show.
The Lehigh Valley Air Show is scheduled for Aug. 24-25 at Lehigh Valley International Airport.
The Blake is a 4/10-scale replica of the Space Shuttle on the exterior and a state-of-the-art classroom inside. The brainchild of Schnecksville Elementary School art and science teacher Bob Boehmer, the Blake has ground-to-space communication capabilities, a space shuttle flight simulator, 12 networked multimedia computers and other hands-on learning centers.
Parkland Assistant Superintendent Rod Troutman recently told school board members the air show is a great opportunity to showcase Blake.
"It doesn't get out as much as it used to," Troutman said. "The sheer look of the vehicle is what it's all about. It's more of a museum piece now and it's designed for younger children."
Among other trips, Blake was transported to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida via a donated Mack truck to attend the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour in April 2011.
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