State of Alabama Provides $10 Million in Funding to Space Camp

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Two weeks ago, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey was on hand at Tthe Space & Rocket Center to announce a staggering $10 million grant to Space Camp to provide the initial funding for a new cyber security camp!  The money will presumably be used to fund new facilities to help facilitate this camp as well as the existing Space Camp, Space Academy, and Robotics programs.

You can view the announcement on Facebook Live at: https://www.facebook.com/RocketCenterUSA/videos/10155303783711971/ 

State Representative tweeted out the following photo:

10 Million Check

Feel free to discuss this exciting news in the HabForum!

New Capsule Simulator

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Atlantis may be gone, but there’s a new capsule simulator in the floor at Space Camp!

New Capsule Simulator on Training Center Floor

The new capsule can be seen on the left side of the photo, on the opposite side of the Training Center Floor from the other space capsule simulator, seen on the far right side of the frame.  Like the other capsule, it will run the same customized, capsulized version of Binary Star.

12 New AsCans, 2 Alumni

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Today NASA announeced a dozen new Astronaut Candidates (“AsCans”) and, as it turns out, two of them have been to Space Camp!

Jasmin Moghbeli graduated from the Advanced Space Academy program and Bob Hines went to Space Camp!

Once they completely their training, it will bring the total number of Space Camp program alumni who have gone on to become Astronauts up to seven!

Jasmin MoghbeliBob Hines

2017 Space Camp Hall of Fame Class Announced

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I’m behind on this by a few weeks, granted.

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center announced the class for the 2017 Space Camp Hall of Fame and it is a special one!

2017 Space Camp Hall of Fame Inductees

First up, NASA Astronaut Dr. Serena Aũnón-Chancellor shall be inducted. Serena is the fourth Space Camp alumna Astronaut to receive this honor.  She is currently training for an upcoming mission to the International Space Station!

Dr. Jennifer Heldmann is a Research Science at NASA’s Ames Research Center.  She earned a Ph.D. in Planetary Science at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Marine Maj. John Hecker has the right stuff!  He’s the pilot of “Fat Albert,” the Blue Angels’ C-130!

Dr. Michelle K. Christensen is a former Space Camper and counselor.  Before earning a Ph.D. from Penn State University, she spent some time at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and she currently works at Blue Origin.

Want to see these fine folks inducted in person?  Get your tickets for the 2017 Space Camp Summerfest!

And read about the event and more in the Spring Edition of the Space Camp Alumni Association’s newsletter.

Summerfest 2017 Logo

NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge

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NASA Rover Challenge LogoNASA’s annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge (formally known as The Great Moonbuggy Race) begins tomorrow, March 31, and runs through Saturday!

The event will be live streamed on Marshall Space Flight Center’s USTREAM page, and details throughout the event can be viewed on the Challenge’s Facebook page.

Good luck to all of the competitors!

The Mars Generation – Netflix – May 5

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Back around the time of the 2015 Space Camp Hall of Fame weekend, there was a camera crew running all over Space Camp!

The result of that work is set to be shown in a new Netflix documentary, The Mars Generation, set to be available on that service on May 5.

A trailer was released today for the documentary, and it looks mighty exciting!

Educator ASA Openings

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Space Camp for Educators LogoI was contacted recently by a teacher in search of other teachers.

She and some other teachers want to go not just to Space Camp for Educators this summer, but a special Advanced Space Academy for Educators!  But they’re a few teachers short of a team!

If you or a teacher you know are interested in going to Camp, June 29 to July 3 is looking for five more teachers!

If you or someone you know might be interested, shoot me an email, and I can put you in touch with the teacher who contacted me!

The Space Camp for Educators is an excellent resource for teachers.  You or a teacher you know would be well served to go through it!  Even better served, perhaps, by going through an ASA version of the program!