KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Alexander Falk of Piper, Kan., child of Michael and Amy Falk, attended the Camp KAOS Space 301 program July 14-19, 2014 at the Cosmosphere. Alexander will be entering grade 9 at Piper High School this fall.
Space 301 is a week-long astronaut camp that emphasizes teamwork, leadership and problem solving while giving campers an up-close and personal experience with NASA and introducing them to career opportunities in aerospace.
Developed by Cosmosphere staff, Camp KAOS science, technology, engineering and math-based programs are nationally recognized for motivating campers to seek careers in science or aerospace-related industries. Space 301 builds on knowledge gained from Space 101 and Space 201.
Space 301 campers spend two days at the Cosmosphere refining skills and knowledge gained from previous summers’ experiences before traveling to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Johnson Space Center is home to NASA’s astronaut training facilities. Campers tour the former and current Mission Control centers including the site of Apollo 11 and 13 Mission Control operations.
Participants visit Building 9, which houses NASA’s International Space Station mock-ups, and tour the Neutral Buoyancy Lab’s 6.2 million gallon pool, where astronauts train for work in microgravity. Campers visit United Space Alliance, the primary contractor for spaceflight operations.
The Houston facility is responsible for processing many items for spaceflight including spacesuits and astronaut clothing.
The Cosmosphere offers camp programs for students as young as those entering second grade, and on through high school. Camps are available for adults, including the Intergenerational Camp Experience for adults and their children or grandchildren.
Additional camp experiences are offered for groups, and schools can custom-design curriculum based on state education standards. The Cosmosphere also has programs designed specifically for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Webelos and the American Heritage Girls.
The Cosmosphere’s Camp KAOS program features five progressive levels for students entering seventh grade. Campers begin with Space 101 and 201, which are held at the Cosmosphere and visit other nearby facilities. They move on to Space 301, which includes a trip to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for a behind-the-scenes tour of NASA’s astronaut training facilities.
Those who progress to Space 401 travel to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where campers experience NASA launch facilities. The most advanced campers in Space 501 focus on emerging space technology facilities in California.
The Smithsonian-affiliated Cosmosphere houses the largest collection of U.S. space artifacts outside the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. It also houses the largest collection of Russian space artifacts outside of Moscow.
The Carey Digital Dome Theater proudly supports education. The Cosmosphere’s education department provides field trips, assemblies, and the internationally acclaimed Camp KAOS summer space adventures, which utilize STEM principles to inspire explorers of all ages and build leadership and teamwork skills. Information about Camp KAOS can be found at www.cosmospherecamps.org.
For more information about the Cosmosphere and the Carey Digital Dome Theater, visit www.cosmo.org.
