There are two kinds of adults: those who attended Space Camp as kids, and those whose brows furrow thinking about how their parents’ negligence cost them the most transformational six days of their lives.
If you aren’t in either of those groups, perhaps you’re just unfamiliar with Space Camp?
- The flagship program welcomes kids ages 9-11 to the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to train like astronauts.
- We’re talking: time in moon-gravity chairs, building and launching model rockets, constructing Martian colonies, and simulated International Space Station missions.
If you weren’t already part of the FOMO club, welcome to your new feelings of deprivation.
It doesn’t always have to feel this bad, though
Since the first campers completed their missions back in 1982, Space Camp has graduated 1m+ alumni — including several who became actual astronauts.
But there’s hope for the billions of poor souls on this planet who haven’t been strapped into a multi-axis spinning machine: The camp continues to go full throttle, growing its offerings and its facilities.
- In May, Space Camp’s new 40.6k-square-foot state-of-the-art operations center opened in Huntsville.
- Youth programs, which now cover ages 9-18 and also include robotics, cybersecurity, and aviation-training tracks, are priced between $1.5k and $2.5k. Scholarships are also available.
- Special programs also cater to educators, families, and adults.
“And adults,” you say?
Parental forgiveness’s best friend, Adult Space Academy is a three-day, two-night program that runs May-September.
The experience starts at $649/person, a nightly rate not unlike a high-end hotel. And while you’ll probably have to contend with a long waitlist, a flight suit sure as hell beats a plush bathrobe.