Welcome to the newest Space Camp Alumni Association Board member!
After an application process that began in September 2022 for one open seat on the board and a series of interviews throughout the end of the year with interested alumni, Christopher Mick was selected to fill the open seat on the Space Camp Alumni Association Board. His term began on January 1, 2023 for a period of 3 years to serve on the board promoting Space Camp Alumni outreach and furthering the mission of Space Camp Alumni.
Christopher Mick is the Education and Outreach Director for the STEAM educational nonprofit, Space St. Croix, that he founded in 2016. Space St. Croix’s mission, connecting kids to the cosmos, through Space-themed STEAM programming and teacher support materials for all Hudson, WI. area public and private schools, in addition to being the STEAM Programmer for the Hudson Area Public Library.
Read more about Chris Mick’s background on his biography page:
Space Camp Alumni Chapters kicked off 2023 with their first meetups of the year!
The Washington, D.C. Chapter of Space Camp Alumni provided outreach at the annual MAGFest video game conference that took place at Gaylord National Harbor in National Harbor, Maryland. They hosted a table that provided attendees the opportunity to pick up swag and chat with other alumni!
Two other Space Camp Alumni Chapters have meetings planned for January 2023:
PHOENIX – Next Meetup is on Saturday January 21, 2023 at 1pm Local Time at Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ
SEATTLE – Next Meetup is on Saturday January 28, 2023 at 3pm Local Time at Machine House Brewery
Washington, D.C. Chapter is meeting monthly via Zoom or in person, their next in person meetup will be a museum gathering in the region! Contact the Washington, D.C. Chapter Leaders for more information.
Huntsville Chapter is meeting monthly via Zoom or in person to help coordinate efforts for AlumniFest 2023.
Chicago, New York City, and Houston will all have meetups during 2023 as well. If you are interested in being a part of these meetups with Space Camp Alumni, reach out for more information and to be added to the list!
Space Camp Alumni Chapters are volunteer led groups that facilitate meetups in their our geographic region. Interested in being a part of your region’s chapter or want to start a chapter in your region? Email [email protected] for more information!
The Washington, D.C. regional Chapter of Space Camp Alumni has begun meetups! Their first meetup took place in person at a restaurant in Tysons Galleria to establish the chapter. At their first meeting the regional chapter established that they would meet monthly, with business meetings taking place virtually on Zoom and in person meetings happening quarterly.
They also plan to represent Space Camp Alumni at the upcoming MAGFest convention for video gaming, with a hosted table of Space Camp Alumni swag that attendees can stop by to check out.
For information on joining the Washington, D.C. regional chapter, or starting a chapter in your own region – email [email protected].
Announcing the opening of our 2023 search for an additional Space Camp Alumni Association Board member.
If you are interested, please send 1) a letter of interest, and 2) a CV/résumé to us at: [email protected]. Please explain why you are interested, your eligibility, and how your background, experience, and skills will enable you to work with other board members and volunteers to advance the goals of the SCAA and Space Camp.
Applications will be accepted from August 1, 2022 through August 24, 2022. Finalists will be notified by email and will be asked to partake in an interview process. At the conclusion of a telephone or Zoom interview process, Board candidates will be approved by December 15, 2022.
The three year term will start on January 1, 2023. Ad Astra!
Find out more details in the downloadable document below:
On June 13, 1982, Space Camp officially turned 40 years old! 40 years of memories and team building, 40 years of alumni!
This occasion was marked with a celebration at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center on Friday June 17, 2022 recognizing the alumni that had passed through the doors and inducting the next class of Space Camp Hall of Fame members.
These new inductees represent a variety of industry and are all leaders in their chosen fields. Learn more about the inductees in their Space Camp Hall of Fame videos, airing on the U.S. Space & Rocket Center YouTube Channel.
Watch more about the 40th Anniversary of Space Camp:
Each of the 2020 inductees, Mandy Vaughn, Brian Dudas, Peter Marquez, and Derek Hodgins were recognized after a long wait following their initial notification of being awarded the honor, due to two years of delay as a result of COVID conditions. The Space Camp Hall of Fame also inducted a special class for 2022 to mark the anniversary, the crew of Inspiration4. Jared Isaacman, an Aviation Challenge alumnus, Chris Sembroski, a former Space Camp Florida counselor, and friends of Space Camp, Hayley Arceneaux and Dr. Sian Proctor were inducted as a team.
It was a joyous occasion to celebrate 40 years of a truly unique program to inspire the next generation of STEM explorers.
Mad Scientist Bash was on March 12, 2022 and party goers were excited that the event was able to go forward at its rescheduled date! This was the first public event that the U.S. Space & Rocket Center had been able to hold since the beginning of COVID.
This year’s theme was “brain science”, focusing on the interworking of the brain and developments in neuroscience that are furthering research in the field. Warren de Wit was the speaker and guest of honor this year, talking about his advancements in the field.
Guests were delighted by the live band, Big Night Dynamite, and a variety of food options that were prepared by the U.S. Space & Rocket Center catering kitchen. The signature drink and strawberry pop dessert were both back, as they are crowd favorites!
Thank you to all of our sponsors for Mad Scientist Bash 2022, including Window World, Geeks & Nerds, Jacobs, and All Points. It was a successful event donating over $100,000 to children’s programs at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center – and a fun time was had by all who attended!
The next upcoming events will be the Apollo to Artemis dinner on April 20, 2022 and the Space Camp 40th Anniversary dinner featuring the Hall of Fame inductions on June 17, 2022!
“You’re going to Space Camp!” These are some of the best words that I have ever spoken. Announcements for the General Scholarship Program were made at the end of February to children whose household income falls under the financial need category. The general scholarship had 152 applications from 15 different countries and 31 different states. Of the 152 applications that were submitted, 55 scholarships were granted from over 32 donors. Wonderful words of gratitude and thankfulness came from not only the recipients of the scholarships, but also their entire family.
“Thank you so, so much for this amazing news! Our daughter is over the moon at this opportunity of a lifetime, and we are so grateful. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
“Oh, wow! THANK YOU! This is exciting news. We are over the moon excited and grateful for this opportunity. Please extend our thanks to the Scholarship Committee for this scholarship for our daughter. We would love to have more information on how to thank our donor!”
“We cannot tell you the screams of excitement and tears that flowed when receiving your news of Congratulations for our son to receive this Space Camp Scholarship to cover his tuition AND Room & Board! In our household, we say “GOD IS SO GOOD!” This is an immense blessing for our family, and we are humbled that our son has been chosen as one of the scholarship recipients!! Thank you, thank you, thank you on behalf of not only him, but thank you from us as his parents, to help foster his curiosity of space exploration and having fun while doing so! We are extremely filled with gratitude.”
“Our son will be so excited he received a full scholarship to Space Camp! I will definitely reach out to the donor to Thank them! This is a really exciting opportunity.”
We look forward to another incredible year of inspiring the next generation of scientists, explorers, and astronauts. Thank you to all our incredible donors who not only help keep our mission alive, but also help make dreams come true.
Mad Scientist Bash was on March 12, 2022 and party goers were excited that the event was able to go forward at its rescheduled date!
This year’s theme was “brain science”, focusing on the interworking of the brain and developments in neuroscience that are furthering research in the field. Warren de Wit was the speaker and guest of honor this year, talking about his advancements in the field.
Guests were delighted by the live band, Big Night Dynamite, and a variety of food options that were prepared by the U.S. Space & Rocket Center catering kitchen. The signature drink and strawberry pop dessert were both back, as they are crowd favorites!
Thank you to all of our sponsors for Mad Scientist Bash 2022, including Window World, Geeks & Nerds, Jacobs, and All Points. It was a successful event donating over $100,000 to children’s programs at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center – and a fun time was had by all who attended!
Our donors help to create once in a lifetime experiences at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center every day. From proceeds to the general scholarship fund, a contribution to unrestricted funds that help meet the needs across the Center, or planning for an endowment, your donation helps make our world class education programs a memory to last a lifetime.
The impact of our programs, like Space Camp, create the foundation for a career in STEM for those that become interested in that pathway, but also help establish a sense of self in the leadership and teamwork aspects that are throughout all of the camp programs.
One of our recent scholarship recipients, Sandali Kumarasinghe, shares her experience of being able to travel to the United States for the first, to attend Space Camp. An experience that helped launch her trajectory towards a lifetime of STEM learning.
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I’m Sandali Kumarasinghe, and I won a scholarship from the US Space & Rocket Center to attend Space Camp in 2019. It’s been over three years, and I’d like to express my gratitude for all of your help and direction during the Space Camp experience. I’m not sure if you remember, but I had a lot of trouble getting a visa, but because of your help, I was able to attend the camp and have a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I’m currently enrolled at Broward College, where I’ll shortly finish my Associates in Engineering concentration and am considering pursuing a BSc in Aerospace Engineering. Without the incredible experience I had at Space Camp, I would not have had the confidence to pursue this field. In addition, I participated in a contest called dearMoon, which was the first all-civilian mission to the moon, and I was able to complete the fourth phase of the five stages. One of the causes for my never-ending fascination for space is Space Camp. It motivated me to pursue this career and to become an astronaut one day. I haven’t gotten very far yet, but all of this means a lot to a Sri Lankan girl like me.
I’d like to express my gratitude to you, my scholarship donor (Keough Family Foundation), the Space Camp committee, my crew trainers (Mrs.Diane and Mr.Richard), and the Space Camp staff. I wouldn’t be able to reach my full potential without your support and generosity. Thank you once more for your generous and unwavering support. I’m also thankful to the US Space & Rocket Center for giving me this fantastic opportunity.
Lots of exciting news ahead this year at Space Camp!
The new Boeing Space Camp Operations Center has officially gone vertical, and steel beams have begun to be placed to form the core structure of the new building. The skyline of Space Camp will look very different coming summer 2022 and the building is slated to be completed in Spring 2023.
Trainees are gearing up to come to camp once again in 2022, and some of the summer week-long programs are already sold out. Most levels of Space Camp and U.S. Cyber Camp are completely full, with Aviation Challenge also rapidly filling up. This summer will be a milestone for the program, in the first attempt to work back towards pre-COVID levels for camp teams and programs.
Follow along with progress of the all new building, the refurbishment of the Pathfinder Shuttle, and more as Space Camp works back from the past two years of amended camp programs.
This year also will mark the 40th anniversary of Space Camp in 2022, trainees and alumni will get a chance to celebrate in June 2022 throughout the whole anniversary week. More information to come on this next big milestone of Space Camp!
