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Huntsville, Alabama's Space Camp
By Robert Balwinder
Huntsville, Alabama is the site of one of the most fervent of kids’ dreams: Space Camp. NASA sponsors a space camp in Alabama to help kids experience what it is like to be an astronaut. Most programs last one week, and they are also offered in conjunction with other community programs, such as 4-H. Attendance at Space Camp can comprise some of the most meaningful and interesting experiences of a child’s life.
The Space Camp program in Alabama has an age limit, and the full camp is available to kids who are at least 12 years old. Of course, there are special programs at the center for younger kids that offer many activities they do not quite appreciate. However, it gives them the chance to assert that they are old enough to be away from home.
The programs and activities at Space Camp are such to awaken creativity and curiosity. There are exercises in designing a lunar colony, and classes and seminars about the history of the space program. These classes include the Soviet space program as well as the United States program. Trips to the museum are also provided for an education experience.
But Space Camp would not be fun if sitting in classes and designing lunar colonies is all that went on. There are life size mock-ups of space shuttles to explore. The quarters themselves (complete with bunks) look like they could be on a space station or colony, not somewhere in Alabama. But the best part of Space Camp is the “astronaut training.”
All kids who attend Space Camp are put through astronaut training. Space suits are fitted for the kids so they get to experience what that feels like. There are centrifuge rides to help the kids feel the pressure of gravity and zero gravity simulations to help them experience weightlessness. Using simulators, they are also taught to "fly" spacecraft like the shuttle. Not to forget, the kids can use a contraption that helps them experience what it feels like to walk on the moon.
Once the training is complete all the Space Camp participants are given the opportunity to run a simulated
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mission. Everyone on board the ship is assigned a specific role such as that of a pilot, or a payload specialist to play in completing the mission successfully. Special attention is paid to sequencing and time because these elements are important in real space missions. If you make a mistake, your simulator shakes you around and you know what it is like to crash and burn.
If there is enough time, a group may have the opportunity to run the mission more than once, allowing people a chance to experience different roles. It is a fun experience for the Space Campers, as they get to do more, learn more about the space program.
Space Camp is an effective and fun way to spark an interest in space and in science. Kids go through a practical program in a learning atmosphere that transports them far away from its location in Huntsville, Alabama. Article Source: http://www.ArticleJoe.com About the author: Robert Balwinder writes exclusively for Alabama Home, there's a wealth of knowledge on the website, plus their free newsletter is well worth signing up for too. If you want to read more Alabama articles go to: www.alabamah.com/articles
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