A group of Girl Scouts from Suffolk Troop 5450 was invited to the Lockheed Martin Center for Innovation on Dec. 4 to watch a broadcast of the Orion launch and learn about the world of aerospace engineering.

Although the launch ended up being delayed until the following day, the girls enjoyed learning about the Orion flight test being a big step in sending humans farther into space.

The Girl Scouts were guests of the National Institute of Science, thanks to Becky Jaramillo, a Girl Scout alumna and a key educator with NIS.

Jaramillo has developed science, technology, engineering and math curriculum, including award-winning video segments for NASA, and has given her time to help Girl Scouts deepen their understanding of STEM subjects.

While visiting the Center for Innovation, Jaramillo talked to the girls about aerospace technology and led them in a variety of fun and engaging science experiments.

“This was an amazing opportunity,” said Cheryl Watters, the leader of Girl Scout Troop 5450. “Being among the engineers and all the professionals from the National Institute of Science and Lockheed made me feel like I was at Mission Control! My youngest daughter is now determined to become an engineer. This special opportunity just made her more determined to reach her dream.”