T-Minus One Day

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Any shuttle launch is a very exciting and special event.

But STS-131, scheduled to lift-off from Launch Complex 39-A tomorrow at 6:21am EST, is particularly special for Space Camp.

Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, Space Camp’s first alumnus astronaut and Space Camp Hall of Fame inductee, will make her very first space-shot!
STS-131 on Launch Pad
Representatives from Space Camp are down at the Cape right now to witness the launch, and as you can see above, Discovery’s sitting on the pad, ready to go!

Be sure to check out Space Camp’s Twitter Feed for their updates from Florida.

Dottie has been kind enough to take with her to space a full complement of Space Camp, Space Academy, and Aviation Challenge wings!

For a stroll down memory lane, check out Dottie’s Hall of Fame induction video from 2007. She was a recently minted astronaut at that point, preparing even then for the fantastic voyage on which she’s about to embark:

Space Campers Attend STS-130 Crew Visit

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Some very lucky Space Campers were able to go to Marshall Space Flight Center today to see members of the STS-130 crew!

Commander George Zamka, rookie Pilot Terry Virts, MS2 Steve Robinson, and MS3 Nicholas Patrick brought along a highlight reel of their mission and took questions from both Space Campers and NASA-folk alike!

Afterwards, the astronauts were gracious enough to stick around and sign autographs!

Space Campers Attend STS-130 Crew Visit

Konrad Dannenberg Tribute

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Konrad DannenbergOn November 7th, 2009, the Salmon Library at the University of Alabama Huntsville will host a tribute to Konrad Dannenberg.

The program will run from 10am to 4pm. The $20 registration fee (payable at the door, but an RSVP in advance is required) will include lunch as well as German coffee and cake at the end of the program.

For more information and to RSVP for the event, please see this site at the National Space Society.

The site also includes the list of speakers thus far. Amongst them is Space Camp founder and Space Camp Hall of Fame Inductee, Ed Buckbee.

Austria – ISC 2009 Opening Ceremony

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Well, the 2009 session of International Space Camp has come to a close. I’m sure students and teachers alike had a wonderful time and are on their way back to their home countries with some great memories and new friends.

Continuing with footage from the opening ceremony, Austrian teacher Philipp Schindegger and students Clea Kline and Stephan Pehr gave a nice overview of their wonderful country and, despite some technical difficulties with the music, danced quite well.

Enjoy!

ASSEC – Board Seats Available

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Alabama’s current governor, Bob Riley, is currently soliciting applications and recommendations for those that want to serve on or recommend someone to serve on a number of state agency boards, the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission amongst them.

The Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission is the state owned organization that operates the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

Like any company, even a state run nonprofit, the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission has a board of directors. Unlike a typical corporate board, members to the ASSEC are appointed by the governor of the state of Alabama for a set term.

Ten of the eighteen commission members’ terms are set to expire on October 1 of this year.

So if you feel like you’d make a good addition to the board, or know someone who would, you can go fill out an application at:

http://governor.alabama.gov/yourgov/upcoming_appointments.aspx

Switzerland – ISC 2009 Opening Ceremony

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The International Space Camp participants all performed wonderfully at the Opening Ceremonies for International Space Camp 2009 that was held yesterday evening.

Over the course of the next week, while the kids and teachers enjoy their week at Space Camp, I’ll be posting some of my favorite performances from the Opening Ceremony.

First off is probably my favorite from the evening.

Teacher Barbara Burtscher and her student, Stefanie Lang, gave a funny performance. Barbara had a slice of Swiss Cheese on her head after all! That alone deserves some credit!

Enjoy!

ISC 2009 Recap

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International Space Camp 2009 started off with a bang last night as twenty countries from around the world introduced themselves in the Davidson Center 3D Theater.

Noticeably absent from this year’s festivities were several teams. Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, South Korea, and England have all had delegations in prior years.

But there were some new faces from last year. Argentina, Finland, India, and Slovakia had delegations this year whereas last year they did not.

The full list of countries attending this year is as follows:

• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Czech Republic
• Finland
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• India
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Portugal
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• United Arab Emirates

I hope the children and teachers alike have a fantastic time this year at International Space Camp!

ISC 2009 Starts this Weekend!

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International Space Camp LogoInternational Space Camp 2009 begins this weekend! Already students and teachers from around the world are en route, and kids and teachers from all over the world will be descending upon the U.S. Space & Rocket Center by Saturday Morning.

No doubt the fine staff of Space Camp and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center are working hard to make sure International Space Camp goes off without a hitch and is an experience our international friends won’t soon forget!

The International Space Camp Opening Ceremony has to be, by far, one of my most favorite things.

The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for 5pm in the Davidson Center theater.

Each year, the students and teachers from each country spend a few minutes to introduce the audience to their place of origin. The presentations are always educational and are often truly quite funny!

I can’t wait to see what this year’s groups have in store!

Keep checking back as I’ll once again post my favorite countries’ presentations!