Tonight I went cruising by Space Camp’s website, looking for a digital copy of the 2010 brochure, as I have yet to get hold of a hard copy for the year.

Boy was I disappointed to find this sorry excuse of a program guide.

It’s a tri-fold brochure, effectively two page display, very light on information.

Granted, perhaps I just have too fond of memories of receiving the program guide in the mail, paging through it, dreaming of all of the things I’d get to do at Camp.

It’s certainly possible that this is just a reflection of the way business is done these days. It wouldn’t surprise me if I were to learn that the vast majority of new campers learn about camp now from the website as opposed to ordering the brochure in the mail.

If that’s the case, perhaps it’s not as important to put out a quality, informative brochure as it one was.

Nevertheless, it was quite a disappointment to see it.

It's 2007!

This is destined to be a very exciting year for Space Camp.

The 25th year is upon us.

I look forward to its offerings.

Happy New Year to all!

So I'm watching this cheesy movie from 1989 called "Beyond the Stars." It's a movie where Christian Slater wants to be an astronaut, and throughout the movie they keep talking about NASA and what not, but they keep mentioning Huntsville.

Later in the film, they go to MSFC and The Space & Rocket Center!

Martin Sheen: I was on my way to Huntsville, Alabama so I called your dad and asked if could stop by and ask if I could take you with me. If you want to go.
Christian Slater: Where? NASA? To the Space & Rocket Center?

They're everywhere too! They show the museum: Casper, the LEM model, Saturn V, etc. They climb around Space Camp simulators (even the UAT! No Space Camp logo was shown though)!

Worth checking out, if only for a "Hey! I've been there!" moment!

I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that live views of Rocket Park can be seen from the Saturn V Cam.

Update: Thanks for fixing it! It now looks sharp and clear!

I would also like to ask that someone with access to the camera refocus it, wipe the lens, and/or etc. Many months of weather have no doubt caused the image to become less crisp.

Here's what it currently looks like:

Here's what it should look like:

I hope that most visitors will please pardon this post, as it has nothing to do with Space Camp, Aviation Challenge, or the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

I wasn't going to make this post here, but then I figured what's the point of having a well-trafficked site if I'm not going to take advantage of it at least once in a while (the Katrina-related Humane Society ad being the other occasion).

Okay, here goes:

December is rapidly approaching and I will be graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in Computer Engineering.

And so it goes that I am going to be in need of a job. If you're in need of a good engineer, who could be better to work with then a fellow Space Camp alumnus?! And I've got an extensive skill-set, to boot!

Please feel free to drop me an email (my first name @ this domain) and I'll get my resume to you, post haste.

It was exactly one year ago today that, having completed training, I became a U.S. Space Academy Counselor. That was truly a great day.

*sigh*

I wanted to share with everyone a photo my friend and fellow counselor this summer Stasia took of the ever popular rocket launch!

I for one think they need this photo (or one just like it) in the 2006 brochure (hint, hint).

Regardless, it sure is fun to look at!

Though I tend not to get up on a soapbox very often, I decided I would take the opportunity to put forth 10 things I think could help Space Camp gain in quality and popularity.

Some of these may or may not be viable, and none, all, or some of them might actually happen. Regardless...here they are!

We greatly appreciate your interest in a Counselor position for this summer. Unfortunately, we will not be hiring any new counselors. Due to budget constraints, we will only hire returning counselors who have already been trained.

We will, however, hire new counselors for the January/February 2004 training session. If you are currently in college, you might want to check with your Career Services Dept. to see if the Counselor position could be a co-op position. If you are interested in coming to work next January/February, please let us know so that we can keep your application active.

Thank you again for your interest and good luck in your job search. We hope to hear from you regarding the Spring 2004 training session.

Yesterday was a tragedy, but today is a new day. A day that has not seen the demise of an orbiter and her crew. A day such as this must surely be a better day.

...But the memory of such horrible events lingers, and the pain, shock, and horror of such an event will not subside in the near future.

The best everyone can do at this point is to never forget these brave men and women who so nobly served and believed in a program that the general public hasn't always. Perhaps some good can come from this horrible, horrible event someday. Perhaps.

In the meantime, keep your eyes glued to the TV screens, and let us hope they get to the bottom of this sooner rather than later.

Also, the ongoing HabForum discussion can be found here and updated news as it becomes available can be found at CNN, MSNBC and Space.com, amongst others.

The game 24 is played often by elementary school children to enhance their math skills while having fun at the same time.

The idea is to take any 4 numbers from 0-9 and, using one number only once, add, subtract, multiply, and/or divide them (and using parenthesis, if needed) to get the numbers to equal 24.

Normally, they would do this with numbers like 1,2,3,4 for which their are well over 100 possible ways to reach 24.

Well, if you want more of a challenge, try the numbers 1, 4, 5, and 6.

...These are the four numbers for which there are the fewest possible solutions out of all possible solvable combinations.

...I encourage you all to give it a go, but be warned: It may take 5 minutes to get the solution, but it may also take 5 hours to get it.

I was amazed both by the problem as well as the solution though. You may be as well.

Enjoy!

So I was at the library studying for an exam today when, not really wanting to study at that moment, I started perusing the bookshelves near me and, quite literally, at the very last bookshelf at the back of the room in the corner bottom rack, I found a book from 1976 titled, "Werner von Braun" by one Erik Bergaust.

I flipped through it a while and looked up "Alabama Space & Rocket Center" in the index and found a passage telling about the arrival of the Saturn V to the mueseum that I thought would be worthwhile to share here, as I know I myself have heard at least two somewhat different stories as to how it got and stayed in Huntsville.

When the [Space & Rocket] Center was conceived in the mid-sixties, Saturn rocket stages were scattered all over the United States. They had been used by a variety of contractors and other Apollo program participants for a number of tests and shop work. As the Center developed, von Braun put out the word to have the Saturn I and Saturn V stages returned to Huntsville for even more testing, and when the hardware arrived and all the other testing had been completed, von Braun made arrangements to have it assembled for "a final transportation test." It involved hauling the stages the six miles from Marshall to the Space Center. Once they arrvied there it was decided to store them for safekeeping in the event additional testing became necessary...

So it would seem this is how he got all the parts there. Quite resourcefull indeed!

The Alumni Testimonials section has received many updates, as of late, but the most recent one from a "Doug G." had this to say:

First of all we called it Level 2, not that Advanced Academy. Level 2, 24 hour mission. That's all that needs to be said.

Indeed!

...go check out some of the other Testimonials if you have a minute. A great many of them are definitely worth reading!

(You know, I don't think I've taken enough advantage of my ability to post whatever I want on the front page of this site, forcing all of you to read it!

Anyway, the thought just occurred to me, and I'd like to share it with everyone. The thought involves what I had always considered to be the destruction of Space Academy Level II when a great 8-day program became a 5-day "Advanced Space Academy." I always considered this a grave injustice, and even though I loved my time at ASA, I've never really warmed up to it as much as the program probably deserves...

...So I was thinking that it's been five years since Space Academy Level II died and ASA rose from its ashes. A half of a decade!

Now, a lot of people reading this probably never really new much about the program before it was ASA, and the fact that I do really kind of shows my age a little.

Regardless, I just thought that it's been five years...I probably shouldn't get my hopes up of a return to the "old ways." And yet, I also would like to think about how many have gone through ASA. How they've enjoyed it and what it has meant to those who have graduated. A number which is larger than had they stuck to an 8-day program...

So while I still think it's not as good as it used to be, Advanced Space Academy is still a great program that anyone should be proud to have had the honor of attending.

When I got back from my little vacation to Huntsville to be present for the celebrating of Space Camp's 20th Anniversary, I said that I might do a write-up on it...A little tip...whenever I say I think I might do it, someone just send me an email and tell me to do it!
That way, it might get done just a little faster than this did (insert joke about CamperFinder here)!

So, even though it has been a little more than a month, here's my write-up of my trip to the USSRC last May!

I hope everyone enjoys reading it! I certainly enjoyed being down there!!!

Well, I went down to good 'ol Huntsville, Alabama at the end of last week to take part in the 20th Anniversary Celebration! While I'm not lucky enough to be going to camp this summer, at least I could go down for that!

Anyway, I got back the other day...The unfortunate thing about vacations is that they have to end!

If I get around to it, perhaps I'll write a little article about my few days down there. At the very least, I'll be posting some photos from the event!

Just in case I don't get to writing an article, I'd at least like to publically say "Thank you" to everyone that made me truly feel as if Space Camp was my home-away-from-home (as I've always liked to think of it). So to everyone who made it possible for me to have a fantastic time while visiting ("ya'll" know who you are , THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT TIME!!!

Today is, of course, that day...MERRY CHRISTMAS! And Happy Holidays, of course!

Truly a horrible day...

my best wishes to those affected by this horrible event.

Further, Kennedy Space Center shut down today, so damn those terrorists!

Further, astronauts on the ISS reported seeing the smoke plumes in both New York City and Washington D.C.

A bad day indeed...