Tag: Alumni

The holidays are upon us and if you have a space fan in your house, we have some out of this world gift ideas that they are sure to love! A large number of Space Camp Alumni share a common interest in space, aviation, and the field of science as it relates to space exploration. You’re sure to delight with these fun space related gift ideas!

Levitating Moon with Wooden Base

This is a really interesting gift for space enthusiasts of all ages! The levitating moon comes in a variety of finishes and sizes, with an interior LED lighting, some can even change to fun colors like purple and green! You can find it on Amazon.

Space Camp T-Shirt

There are lots of great designs and themes on the U.S. Space & Rocket Center website, everything from a more traditional t-shirt to shirts that say “I literally LOVE Space Camp!” and shirts for Aviation Challenge as well! With the 30 year anniversary of Aviation Challenge coming up in 2020, AC gear would make a fun holiday surprise!

Astronaut Oven Mitts

Also on the U.S. Space & Rocket Center website, there are a number of whimsical items that even are a great choice for Space Camp Alumni parents. Want to go to space, but never got the chance? Give the gift of astronaut oven mitts and you can feel like you’re completing a mission every time dinner is ready!

Lego Saturn V Rocket Building Kit

Legos are the quintessential building kit for children and adults alike. The Saturn V rocket model is a fun kit for buildings to be able to get the chance to not only build the rocket, but display it as well. The Saturn V Lego rocket kit is currently on sale on the Lego.com site.

It’s Not Rocket Science… Oh Wait Yes It Is

If you’re searching for a bit of humor, there is a great line of “It’s Not Rocket Science… Oh Wait, Yes It is!” merchandise. Everything from mugs, to mouse pads, and shirts!

Fun Stocking Stuffers

Add to their pin or patch collection with fun space and NASA themed pins and patches. Here are some of our favorites!

There’s also a ton of great gift ideas on the U.S. Space & Rocket Center website, just follow the link to Shop Online to check out the selection!

Fuel imagination. Propel Innovation. This Giving Tuesday, donate to the U.S. Space & Rocket Education Foundation to support the dreams of a child!

Visit “Ways to Give” on RocketCenterFoundation.org for more information on how you can donate to a Space Camp Scholarship endowment fund.

There are 3 easy ways that you can donate to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation, to contribute to Space Camp scholarships and support Space Camp programming!

To make a direct donation, visit the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation website! Or start a fundraiser to get your friends and family involved! By starting a Facebook Fundraiser, your donation to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation is collected by Network for Good, and you can start a challenge amongst your network to raise $100, $500… or even $1100 to cover a full scholarship!

Donating to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation through Amazon Smile means that a percentage of your purchase through Amazon is donated by Amazon every time you purchase! A little bit with each purchase that you make adds up to make a HUGE difference!

Together, we can ensure that Space Camp programming is available and around for generations to come!

Aviation Challenge started at Space Camp in 1990, as a way for trainees to experience pilot training simulations and experience water survival techniques used by pilots as well. Coming off the heels of the successful 1986 film ‘Top Gun’, Avaiation Challenge gave trainees an experience that increased their leadership and team building skills, as well as giving them a taste of what it took to be ‘Top Gun’.

Trainees have been taking part in this program for 30 years as of the 2020 camp season, and in 2020 there is also an updated version of ‘Top Gun’ being released, titled “Top Gun: Maverick”.

As we approach the 2020 camp season, we look forward to celebrating this special camp experience and the beginning of the Aviation Challenge program!

November 19, 2019 is National Camp Day, celebrating the experiences and independence that children gain while attending summer camps.

On social media today, we are asking the Space Camp Alumni “share their swag”, to share different items that they have from their time at a Space Camp program!

Visit our private Facebook group, just for Space Camp Alumni, to share your photos!

A big ‘thank you’ to Huntsville’s Team Rocket Tri-Club for presenting representatives from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation with a check for $3500 to donate to the Space Camp General Scholarship Fund! Their generous donation will help children attend Space Camp that might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend. Tri for Ole Glory is held on July 4th and includes a 3.1 mile run, 8 mile mountain bike, and 200 meter swim across the U.S. Space & Rocket Center campus.

Mike Taylor, Diana Hughes, & Moriah Fordham

Mike Taylor, Race Director for the Tri for Ole Glory presented the check to Diana Hughes, Alumni Engagement Specialist at U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation and Moriah Fordham, Communications at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center at their wrap up event held at Rocket Republic in Madison. Space Camp Alumni Ruth Marie Oliver and Chris Key, co-chair of the Space Camp Alumni Association Board, are participants in the Rocket Tri-Club events and instrumental in raising this donation for Space Camp scholarships. We appreciate their efforts, as well as all of Team Rocket Tri-Club for their donation!

Team Rocket Tri-Club organizes a number of triathlon and running events in the Huntsville region, and contributes to a number of charities throughout the year. You can find out more information on their upcoming events by visiting: www.teamrockettri.org

Hooray! It’s National STEM Day!

We’re celebrating all things Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics! Space Camp programs including Space Academy, Advanced Space Academy, Aviation Challenge, Robotics Camp, and U.S. Cyber Camp build confidence, encourage curiosity, and hone leadership skills. For a lot of Space Camp Alumni, STEM is not only a passion – but it also became a career! Space Camp Alumni are in thousands of different types of careers across the world – we are teachers, scientists, engineers, and explorers of all kinds.

On National STEM Day, we encourage you to think about how STEM and attending Space Camp has affect your life. Share your STEM story on the Alumni Story page! And consider donating to the Space Camp Scholarship Endowment Fund, to ensure that deserving applicants have the opportunity to attend Space Camp programs!

Together, we can ensure that the legacy of Space Camp continues for generations to come!

To make a donate to the Space Camp Scholarship Endowment, visit: RocketCenterFoundation.org/Give

For Schelly Corry (nee Finch), science was always something that captured her interest, but attending Space Camp in 1988 was what gave her the realization that it was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

“I left the program with the realization that I can do science… I am going to do science.”, she said of her time at camp.

Arriving at Space Camp was no small feat however, Schelly worked for two years to save money to pay for her trip to Space Camp and appreciated every moment at Space Academy Level II. She budgeted the details for her trip and even saved money to bring home souvenirs for her family members. To current trainees today she recommended, “Don’t take it for granted. Be in the moment. It’s a life changing experience.”

After her time at camp, Schelly went on to pursue an undergraduate degree in Biology and Education, and then went on to earn her graduate degree in Free Choice Learning, with a special focus on Museum Studies and Natural Resources. During her time at school, she was able to put her passion for science into action by helping farmers in Bangladesh have more profitable crops that they could sustain their families on and build a better future for themselves.

This program as a college student helped her to see – science can change lives.

After graduating from college, she has worked at educational museums, including Perot Museum of Nature & Science in Dallas-Ft. Worth, and Cook Museum of Natural Science in Decatur, Alabama. As of October 1, 2019, Ms. Corry is the Vice President of Space Center, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, thus bringing her back to where her path of science was solidified.

Of the exhibits at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Wernher Von Braun’s office is one of her favorites that leaves a powerful impression. Standing in the presence of where such vision and intelligence had come out of that time makes you appreciate the magnitude of everything that came out of that office.

“There’s nothing like seeing the real thing in a museum to make a young person reflect.”

When she was younger, she distinctly remembers standing in from the Apollo 16 exhibit at the U.S Space & Rocket Center and looking at it in awe of what achievements had been made by those scientists and explorers before her. It’s only fitting, that she would now be back at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, home of Space Camp, to help inspire the next generation of explorers and dreamers.

And her favorite quote? It sums up her determination to enact positive change on the world and leave it better than she found it.

“A Challenge…

to lead instead of being led,

to participate instead of watching,

to act…instead of waiting with idle hands.”

-Paul Petzoldt – Climbed the Grand Teton at the age of 16, Founder of National Outdoor Leadership School

A new series on Space Camp Alumni social media, on Graduation Fridays we ask, “Where have your wings taken you?”

The coming year is an exciting one for the Space Camp Alumni Association, with a number of networking events to take place across the country for alumni of Space Camp programs to connect at regional Chapter events. Our Space Camp Alumni Association wants to hear where you’ve gone in life, how STEAM is currently a part of your life, and how your time at Space Camp affected your career path later in life.

As we embark on 2020, we prepare to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Avaiation Challenge and look at the horizon of where all of the Space Camp programs will go in the future. In addition to Space Camp and Aviation Challenge, within the past decade both Robotics Camp and U.S. Cyber Camp have been added to the programming mix, to meet growing workforce development needs in these relatively new industries.

Space Camp Alumni have gone on to be doctors, scientists, astronauts, pilots, engineers, teachers, and specialists of all kinds! Where have your wings taken you?

For more information on upcoming Alumni Chapter events in your area, email ‘[email protected]‘ and join our private Facebook group for Space Camp Alumni to “save the date” for upcoming events in your region!

History was made on Friday October 18, 2019, when the first all woman spacewalk occured outside the International Space Station.

Astronaut Christina Koch and Astronaut Jessica Meir became the first two woman to complete a spacewalk together. The spacewalk was the 221st space excursion from the International Space Station.  During the spacewalk, they replaced a battery charge/dischage unit that failed to activate after they were installed during a previous spacewalk.The unit collects energy from the station’s solar arrays.

Christina Koch is a five-time Space Camp Alumna, attending Space Academy and Advanced Space Academy in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996. She has been aboard the International Space Station since March 14, 2019 and has been living in space for about six months. Upon completion of Expedition 61, she will have been in space for a total of 328 days. Her time is space is anticipated to be the longest single spaceflight by a woman, making space history yet again!

Do you remember your time training on the Mission Training Floor at Space Camp?

In our latest video, we share the Mission Training Floor in its past and current state! Mission training is the culmination of the time spent training with your team and learning different concepts to complete a successful mission.