One needn't be an astronaut to prepare for a trip to the final frontier. Each month, dozens of businesspeople travel to Corporate Space Camp, a space-themed development program geared at building teamwork and communication skills. The Tennessee Valley Authority even integrated the program into its training of nuclear power plant operators. There are also locations in California and Florida. Rush said that on a typical trip to the camp a team of 10 might have to launch a rocket into space by working together, and the simulator can be customized to throw problems at employees who traditionally have trouble cooperating.
People learn that there is a way to get things done, just like in the workplace.
The simulator can create fires or break vital equipment. If two team members are repairing a satellite and one of them drops a tool, a space center employee takes it away, just as it would disappear in a weightless environment. The best part was the F-16 simulator, when we had to attack an army base. He visited the camp for two days last year with a group of about 16 from all levels of his company. But Moffat said the trip was money well spent.