HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A new world-class space capsule simulator and lander, drone and robotics assembly, virtual reality and more all await participants in newly designed summer camp experiences at the Cosmosphere. Information about the new camps was released today.
With 35 years in the aerospace summer camp market, Cosmosphere has attracted students from all over the world and across the nation to its camp experiences in Hutchinson. While team building and critical thinking skill development have always been part of the Cosmosphere’s outcome objectives for its camps, according to CEO Jim Remar, it was time to rework the camp offerings to meet new objectives and to provide more relevant and engaging experiences.
“Our vision for what camp could become began with dismantling our Space Shuttle-based Falcon simulator, which was nearly 25 years old,” Remar said. “To teach the skills and provide insight into today’s missions, we needed a capsule experience more closely aligned to NASA’s current efforts. For that reason, we’re modeling our new Astralis simulator on NASA’s Orion capsule. The simulator will also have a lander, so students will have a third element in their mission experiences we hadn’t previously provided.”
Cosmosphere is also broadening the activities within every camp to include more options for career choices. From journalism to healthcare and agriculture, students will learn how the base of science, technology, engineering and math in each mission must expand to include other skills required for living and working in space. Activities also align with Next Generation Science Standards and work readiness skill development.
Upper level camps, now called the Ad Astra Program, are based on a camper’s grade level, allowing students to participate in a camp for the first time without prior camp participation. Travel Experiences to Texas and California are still available and neither requires prior camp experience.
For information on all the camps, go to cosmocamps.org or call 620-222-0201. Registration begins on November 11.
