Hoot's 5th Grader Episode Available
http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=smarter
A School Yard Controversy?
But was he wrong?
Hoot made it all the way to the million dollar question.
That question? “How many common factors do 28 and 32 have?”
Hoot answered “two,” locked in his vote, and lost. He said 2 and 4 were common factors of each, and indeed they are. But he lost because the answer, he was told, should have been three. 1, 2, and 4.
But on the “Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader” message boards, trouble is brewing. A few mathematically inclined viewers in multiple threads have pointed out that one can define common factors not to include the number 1.
A link in one thread to this article states, “Factors are either prime numbers or composite numbers.” Given that the number 1 is neither, maybe Hoot was right!
It would seem a shame not to give the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation $975,000 Hoot fought so hard to win.
Is he Smarter than a 5th Grader?
I had the opportunity to speak with Hoot after his return from taping the episode of the show this past July and he said he had some pretty good banter going back and forth with the host, Jeff Foxworthy! And so you should have no doubt that the show is going to be very entertaining even if you’ve never before seen a single episode of the show!
“Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader” airs on the Fox network tonight at 8pm EDT.
Be sure to turn on, tune in, and veg out!
2008 Space Camp Hall of Fame Video
The link to the video was just posted to the Alumni Page as follows:
View the July 19, 2008 Hall of Fame induction ceremony ... today. This video is approximately 3 hours in length and can take up to 30 seconds for the video to buffer. Click here to watch the archived video.
In order to be able to skip around the video with minimal issues, I recommend using VLC Player over Windows Media Player to watch the stream.
Also, some time ago, photos from the entire Apollo Reunion / Hall of Fame weekend were published online as well.
Hall of Fame Videos Posted to YouTube
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| Captain Phil Smith | Oscar Holderer | Lisa Devries |
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| Vincent Vazzo | Josh Whitfield | Marlenn Maicki |
Expedition 15 and 16 Crew Members Visit
Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson, Flight Engineer Daniel Tani, and Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson were kind enough to spend some time with some of the trainees from Space Academy this week as well as some eager NASA-folk! A few of the Space Camp for Educator counselors snuck over to MSFC as well!
The crew brought along a highlight reel of their mission and took questions and, after the show was over, they were kind enough to stick around and sign autographs!
Space Camp Barbie 2.0 Launches Tomorrow
Space Camp has once again partnered with Mattel to produce a Space Camp Barbie doll.
Though the new Barbie was supposed to be launched at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center on July 4, as it turns out, she and Ken were having such a good time on vacation in China that they extended their stay a bit!
Nevertheless, Space Camp Barbie 2.0 will be available at the Space Center beginning tomorrow at 10:00am!
This new Space Camp Barbie has some pretty big shoes to fill as the old Space Camp Barbie has already rubbed shoulders with some of NASAs finest!
Photos of some of her recent adventures are posted below!
Space Camp on Penn & Teller's Show
Now, if you’ve ever seen the show, you’ll know that they mercilessly attack whatever the topic of the week is.
This week the show is about NASA.
But, being huge fans of America’s space program, Penn & Teller go pretty easy on NASA and, thankfully, on Space Camp.
Worth noting is that the USSRCs media guy Al Whitiker makes an appearance as does Space Camp manager Brandy Hulsey! They both did a terrific job on what has to be the most difficult show in the world to be on when you’re not on the show’s side. Great job, you two!
Also worth noting was that Penn & Teller were in Space Camp flight suits! Too funny!
And I think it was actually a positive plug for Space Camp and the Space and Rocket Center! No small feat on a show called...well, you know...
It will be airing through July 7th on Showtime, and you can go here to see the exact schedule.
A preview can be seen here.
Tony and Nathalie Visit Space Camp
If you were one of the first to attend 8-day Advanced Academy, your missions were a direct result of many hours of work by these two.
If you’ve attended 8-day lately, you’ve still been exposed to much of the great work they did to prepare for the return of the Extended Duration Missions.
Tony and Nathalie left Space Camp in late 2004 never to return again. Until yesterday.
With no fanfare, while visiting the Huntsville area this weekend, Tony and Nathalie made their triumphant return to the Space and Rocket Center, if only for the afternoon.
Upon their arrival, they toured the entire campus. Four years later, it would no doubt seem as if they had never left. Because no matter how much things change, it always feels like Space Camp!

2008 Space Camp Hall of Fame Inductees Officially Announced
The official press release can be viewed here, but here are the names with details and photos to follow:
Friend of SPACE CAMP
- Oscar Holderer - Huntsville, AL
- Marlenn Maicki - Bloomfield, MI
Former Employee
- Lisa DeVries - Cocoa, FL
Former Camper
- Captain Phillip Smith - Seymour Johnson AFB, NC
- Vincent Vazzo - Huntsville, AL
- Specialist Josh "Safety" Whitfield - California
New spacecamp.com Website
Overall, I think it looks like a nice effort!
If nothing else, it's certainly an improvement over
the previous site as I'm sure we can all agree that
it had gotten a bit cluttered and disorganized.
And so well done!
If you happen to come across any problems on the new
site (misspellings, bad links, etc.), feel free to
post them here on the Habforum and help Space
Camp out!
Space Campers get to see STS-122 Crew at MSFC
The crew brought along a highlight reel of their mission and took questions from both Space Campers and NASA-folk alike!
Afterwards, the crew was gracious enough to stick around and sign autographs!
Last Day to Nominate
Get to it!
Hall of Fame Reminder
You can nominate whomever you feel best meets the criteria as outlined on the Hall of Fame Nomination Criteria page.
From there you can also submit the nomination.
Last year's inductees can be seen here.
Remember, April 13 is the last day to submit nominations!
Space Camp on YouTube
You'll no doubt want to check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/user/spacecampusa
Don't you think this would make an outstanding place for Space Camp to put all of that archival footage they have sitting on the shelf? It would, indeed!
Busy Month for Space Camp - Saturn V Center & Mission to Atlanta
This Saturday is the grand opening of the new Saturn V center! At long last! Granted, it's not really the grand opening. That took place on January 31, but we commoners weren't invited (corporate tables only). But this should do nicely! You can press your nose up against the window and check out pictures from the January 31 opening at www.spacecamp.com/gala/.
On Sunday, Space Camp will continue on a new Mission to Malls tour.
The schedule is as follows:
February 10 - Mall of Georgia
February 15-17 - Town Center Mall
February 22-24 - Perimeter Mall
Tons of opportunities to visit Space Camp if you're in the Atlanta area this month!
Make a Difference
Details as to the requirements to get the job can be found here.
There will be a job fair at the Space Center on December 14th. If you're not local, all of this can be handled online and over the phone though.
This is a tremendous opportunity to make Space Camp a memorable and exciting time for a large number of children...Just like your counselors did for you!
You also get to meet and work with a lot of great people and, if you reside on site, you get to have a shuttle in your backyard (how many people get to say that)!
Mission to Malls Returns...
If you've been to spacecamp.com lately, you no doubt have seen the following banner:
Space Camp returns to tour at least one more mall this December!
July Alumni Newsletter Available Now
At any rate, highlights include the Rocket Roll as well as the Saturn V reunion (both excellent times).
Also, Aviation Challenge counselor "Snowflake" makes an appearance as this month's featured alumnus.
Go see for yourself!
June Alumni Newsletter is Available - Lots of News
Next, this coming Friday (the 13th), the USSRC will have the fourth annual Saturn V reunion! The VIP list looks awesome as it includes astronauts Walt Cunningham, Jim Haisell, and Owen Garriott, amongst others.
Even more incredible than the lineup is the price: $10 per ticket if you buy them in advance ($25 at the door). It should be a fun time! Tickets can be purchased online or at the ticket desk. See http://www.savethesaturn.org for more details.
Additional highlights in the June Alumni Newsletter include highlights from the 25th Anniversary Hall of Fame Induction Dinner, an update on 25th Anniversary activities yet to happen, and the Alumni Spotlight section featuring Beth Favor.
Go read!
25th Anniversary Dinner TONIGHT 25th Anniversary Dinner TONIGHT
The setup looks wonderful!
I really think it's going to be a special night for the eight inductees and all of those in attendance.
If you're in the area, I believe you can still get tickets if you go over to the Space Center today! I think it'll be a very enjoyable night for all!
Hall of Fame Nominations - How to Submit:
Make the Hall of Fame Induction Work for You
Loyal readers and alumni, the mothership is working on the details for the Space Camp Hall of Fame event. They want to host it at the Von Braun Center in downtown Huntsville. I call upon you to respond to the following questions in the form of a comment to the forum.
1. Would you travel to Huntsville for the SPACE CAMP Hall of Fame if it was held at another venue?
2. How much would you pay to attend this event if William "Captain Kirk" Shatner was the emcee?
3. Would to rather have a sit down, full service dinner or a buffet dinner?
Please reply with comments. This is very urgent, there is a 9 am CST meeting tomorrow that you can affect the outcome on.
Voice your opinion (quickly) here!
Emcee Shatner
If you actually needed another reason to try to get down to Space Camp this June, this has to be it!
And, if we're lucky, he may not sing (oh, I kid, Bill)! But if he must, I vote for No Tears for Caesar.
Here's a link to one of the many stories out there. The story has been picked up by a huge number of outlets which should amount to excellent press for Space Camp!
And Alumni Andi had it first!
Fox & Friends Footage
Actually, I guess I
should say in "their" latest post. While we had been
given the impression that it was more than one person
behind the myspace page, when Charity was revealed,
it sounded as if she was the only one behind it.
But in the latest blog, I was scolded for my
photograph selection with the following, "I would
like to thank Vincent of www.Hab1.com for posting
such a lovely picture of my counterpart."
Time will tell!
Where Discovery Goes, so Goes Space Camp
This is the first time something specific to Space Camp has flown in a large quantity. This is just one sign that the mothership will put on a big show next summer.
They sure are shiny!
25th Anniversary Press Release Issued
. Read More...
Alumni Stars
Here.
Just in case they don't post everyone's, well, I'm still interested and I'm sure others are too! I've started this thread in the HabForum so you can post your responses!
25th Anniversary Planning Underway
And to celebrate, they're making some big plans!
You can visit the 25th Anniversary Site to see what they're kicking around so far, including alumni reunion dates!
Also, be sure to register as an alumnus to make your interest known and let Space Camp know what you've been up to.
And I'll be sure to report more details as I learn them.
Astronauts at Space Camp this Summer
You can see this list if you want your week at camp to coincide with a vist from Frank Colbertson, Bob Springer, or Story Musgrave.
Rumor Mill: New Space Camp Site Coming?
Also, if you've been really paying attention, you'll notice that some pages don't match the look and feel of the current website.
Finally, to fuel the fire that a redesign is in the works, I recommend you check this out. The domain, hattin1187.info, was registered to Space Camp on March 8 of this year by John Goglick (notice that it's an @spacecamp.com address)! Though I'm not sure what the significance of "hattin1187" is.
Interesting, indeed!
Good Luck Soon-to-be Counselors
I just want to wish you luck as they start a great new adventure! Pretty soon, it will be your job to inspire Space Campers from around the world and try to instill in them a sense of wonder and adventure for the exploration of space.
It's a great job.
Good luck!
Needed: (More than) A Few Good Men and Women:
Become one of the few, the proud! Become a Space Camp counselor, and get paid to play (essentially)!
Details and the paper work can be found at Space Camp HRs website.
And with the new pay structure, you'll pocket even more of that "Mad Phat Space Camp Money" (pardon me).
New Counselor Pay Structures from Space Camp
Here's the breakdown:
Counselor I
Pay: $7.25/hr base pay
Requirements: Must be high school graduate and at least 18 years old.
1 week of training
Shifts: morning, afternoon, evening, Saturday and/or Sunday - all day
Trained in: Astrotrek Simulators, Museum simulators and Aerospace Support or Museum Guide and Outpost in Space
Counselor II
Pay: $8/hr base pay, $0.25/hr increase to base for each certification (briefing staff/scheduling staff/robotics track/aviation track/Advance Academy and/or Mach III/Corporate, 8-day or 13-day programs)
2 weeks of training
Shifts: Day shift (7-3), Night shift (3-11), Weekend shift: Friday & Saturday (7a-11p) and Sunday (7-3)
Must have 2 years of college
Trained in: Space Camp/AC team leader, TCF or AC simulations, and museum simulators
Counselor III
Pay: $9/hr base pay + $.25/hr increase to base for each certification (briefing staff/scheduling staff/robotics track/aviation track/Advance Academy and/or Mach III/Corporate, 8-day or 13-day programs)
3-4 weeks of training
MUST HAVE OPEN AVAILABILITY (able to work any shift)
Must have 2 years of college
Trained in: Space Camp/AC team leader, weekend program team leader, TCF or AC Simulations and museum simulators
All Quiet on the Southern Front
Then again, we are moving into the Fall. Of course, if there is something going on in front of or behind the scenes that I'm not aware of, please feel free to let me know!
CBS Early Show Segment Online
You can view the adorable segment here (it's under "Multimedia" on the right side).
Congratulations to Kate and Phil for making national TV! Sort of a neat perk of the job, in a way, eh?!
"Space Camp" Required to Change Name
I've been wondering about this one for a while, myself. It seems Space Camp (the camp, not the band) finally got around to saying something about it!
From the band's website:
This is the home page of the band formerly known as Space Camp. Sadly, the band is being forced to change its' [sic] name by Space Camp in Alabama, (you know, where the kids go to be astronauts...). This week, the band recieved [sic] a letter demanding we make this change. Since we are good natured most of the time and don't want to rattle the cages of the United States Space Camp, we will be renaming the group. What's really in a name anyway? All of our current tour dates remain current, but will not be played under the handle "Space Camp."
So there you have it.
SC & AC Buddy Discount
If you and a buddy register to go to one of the listed programs together, you'll each save $250 off the price of tuition.
It's certainly a great deal! And though you'll no doubt make a lot of new friends when you attend Space Camp or Aviation Challenge, you'll have one already with you, too!
Unfortunately, this one won't apply to Mach III & ASA campers, but it's a great deal nonetheless!
Space Camp Discounts Pending
Though I don't have any details about what kind of discounts will be offered, something is better than nothing.
If you were hoping for discounts on the 13-day programs, well, dare to dream! It seems as if reservations for the 13-day have already exceeded expectations and thus no discount will be offered. Further, you should probably not wait too long to register for a 13-day session, or you may find yourself at camp for only six days instead!
Endeavor is Dead. Long Live Endeavor
Still, it's a shame. I spent more time than anyone else there this past summer. It's a shame to see the old gal go!
International Space Camp Begins
I do hope everyone enjoys their time spent here in the United States!
New SpaceCamp.com Site is Up!
Despite a few quirks that no doubt will be worked out shortly, it is truly a vast improvement over the old site design(s)!
Don't delay, check it out!
The TCF Updates are Coming Along Nicely
Smiley was kind enough to pass along a few photos of the star curtain now on the Training Center Floor.
These pics kinda show what the star curtains look like. Its kinda hard to capture the effect. The stars are LED's and vary in brightness. So they kinda twinkle. This starfield will wrap about 60% of the sims floor area.
Sounds quite nice! ...Click on the small photos to see them larger.
EDM Details (Finally) Online
If you visit the website and click on the "Click for your Special Invitation - Alumni Only Special" at the top left corner, you'll be taken to all of the information. Or you can just click here.
One thing listed though that was not previously announced is that the Christmas session (Dec. 27, 2004 - Jan. 3, 2005) will also feature these 24 Hour EDMs!
24 Hour EDM's this Summer!
Space Camp will have several special sessions this summer for ASA where the Extended Duration Mission will be 24 hours instead of the now shortened six hour EDM's.
Many moons ago, the EDM's were 24 hours long. Later, they were shortened to 12 hours. When the program was changed to Advanced Space Academy from Space Academy Level II, they were shortened to six hour missions.
The offering of 24 hour EDM's again is definitely a step in the right direction!
If you're interested in going, the weeks will be:
May 29 - June 5
July 3 - July 10
August 7 - August 14
In addition to normal ASA sessions, for each of these weeks, there will be one team consisting of those that will be going on a 24 hour EDM. Camp will start on Saturday and go to the following Saturday. Graduation will be at 11am on Saturday. Mission Specialists flying in and out are asked not to fly out earlier than 3pm on Saturday (since the 24 hour EDM will have a SCUBA component for MS's).
In addition to the 24 hour EDM, additional training and speakers will be provided.
To participate in one of these special sessions, you must previously have attended a Space Camp program.
With increased activity comes an increased cost. If you register for one of the 24 hour EDM sessions by March 15, it will cost $1149 (I believe the cost if you register after this date, provided there are any spots left, will be $1299).
If you previously signed up for a week under the $649 Early Bird Special and wish to change to one of these 24 hour EDM spots, it will cost an additional $300.
This is great! Hopefully, this will be available every year as an option.
Whatever it Takes to get to Space Camp
Anyway, from Channel 19 in Huntsville comes a story of a kid who, despite being told "no" from his parents regarding sending him to camp, decided to go anyway.
Space Camp wasn't a passing whim for Tyler. To pay for the trip, he set up a lemonade stand outside a neighborhood restaurant in his Maryland hometown.
Good work, Tyler!
Space Camp can count a Rhodes Scholar among its Alumni
Congratulations!
The Sun-Times article can be read here.
ISC Kicks off Today
Congratulations to those selected to represent your respective countries at ISC this week. And remember, it's not just an honor, it's an adventure!
I hope everyone enjoys their trip to Space Camp as well as the United States of America.
Consultants to Space Camp: Boost Visibility
For more than five hours Monday, the bosses of U.S. Space Camp heard what others think about their business. They listened as both in-house managers and hired consultants presented results and recommendations from recent surveys aimed at finding out how to reverse a decade-long decline in camp attendance.
The bottom line: Spend more money to spread the word about Space Camp and what it can mean to children.
The Huntsville Times has a wonderful piece of coverage on the results of the meetings as well as a rundown of the information the survey generated.
Read the whole thing here.
Personally, from the standpoint of a camper, I think the outcome is somewhat a mixed bag. On one hand, the USSRC will probably spend a great deal more on advertising in an effort to get word out about Space Camp (a long overdue measure). On the other hand, if they blindly follow what they think the results say, we'll see a greater emphasis on shorter duration programs.
I'll guess we'll just have to sit back, watch, and hope for the best!
Space Camp to Look at Declining Attendence, Part...
The article:
| Officials at
the Space and Rocket Center are working
together to come up with ideas on how to
increase enrollment at the Center's Space
Camps.
Some space camp programs have seen a 1% decrease in enrollment over the last two years, but that's enough to concern leaders. They spent Monday learning about other successfull camps in the country. Marketing ideas were also discussed, hoping to make the difference. |
Space Camp to Look at Declining Attendence
Space Camp has also hired an independant firm to help them gather statistics and opinions from those who have and have not attended Space Camp in an effort to help solve the problem.
The Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission, the board that oversees the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, will be looking for answers at a retreat this month.
Are kids less interested in space? Are more interests and distractions such as the Internet and video games competing for attention? Do new school schedules and shorter summer vacations make Space Camp harder to fit in around family vacations, band camps and other activities?
Or is something else at work, something that is, as yet, unidentified?The whole article can (and should) be read right here.
Joel is Gone!
Joel was truly an institution at camp! Virtually every time I went there, there was Joel. Yes, while Space Camp is an everchanging machine, Joel was one of its constants.
Until now.
Best of luck to him in all of his future endeavors though!
A New California Camp my yet Arise
Read all about it!
The new camp would be in The Dome on the grounds of the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach. Campers' dormitories would be aboard the historic ocean liner, which for decades has been an anchored hotel and tourist site.
The Dome - a giant geodesic building - was formerly home to the "Spruce Goose," Howard Hughes' wooden seaplane. The plane was moved to a museum in Oregon in 1992.
McNerney said an opening date, like many details about the new camp at this point, is subject to negotiation.
"We're going to try to open up July 6," he said.
Hmm...I wonder if they're looking for a new employee!
War Slows Camp Reservations
Reservations for June and July camps are down by about 1,400 from where U.S. Space & Rocket Center CEO Larry Capps would like them to be.
However, the article does note that while reservations are down, revenue is still up since they haven't discounted the price of the programs as they did last year.
Space Camp Alters its Cancellation Policy
As can be seen here on their registration page, the policy now includes the following:
-
We will hold your individual reservation for US Space Camp or Aviation Challenge until such time that you can reschedule. -
For groups of 12 or more, we will gladly reschedule your contracted session to include the busy summer season dates if necessary. -
Full tuition refunds will be made provided we receive your refund request in writing no earlier than two weeks prior to the start date of your camp session.
Otherwise all cancellation requests will be held to our existing stated Cancellation
Policy. NOTE: We can not be held liable for additional or forfeited transportation charges incurred as a result of your desire to reschedule your camp session.
| In the event of
military conflict, and if you, your child or
group are unable to travel during that time
you would need to arrive for your camp
session:
|
Space Camp Homepage Changes
The rest of the site seems to be relatively unchanged for now though.
Feel free to vote over to the left as to whether or not you like it though. Further, you may read and post comments on the new homepage in this thread in the HabForum.
Another Giveaway for Registering at Camp
Just reference source code ETI03 when you register. Only 150 of these will be given out.
Hold off on Making a Reservation for a Day or So
While I have no idea what they might be, it'd probably be best to hold off registering for day or two until they're announced.
And the free flight suit promotion is good until the end of this month, so there's really no risk to wait (unless there's only one or two spots left for the week you wish to go).
More to come...
Free Flight Suit when you Register
Further details can be found here.
The Simpsons References Space Camp
Bart: "How was your summer, Nelson?"
Nelson: "Sucked."
Bart: "What'd you do?"
Nelson: "Space Camp."
okay...so it's not the most flattering reference regarding camp. But it was Nelson saying it, so naturally we can't take personally what a fictional cartoon bully says.
Still. Anytime Simpsons references anything, whatever was referenced should be flattered!
Searching for...
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