I’m definitely behind on this one, so you may know already, but Space Camp has officially released the names of each of the four who will be inducted into the Space Camp Hall of Fame. A short bio has been given as well for each person and is reprinted here.

Space Camp Alumnus

Francis French - Director of Education at the San Diego Air & Space Museum; 1989 Graduate of the Space Academy Level II program; met his future wife at Space Academy Level II

Former Space Camp Staff Member

J. David Hnyda - U.S. Army Aviator; scheduled to attend the Navy Test Pilot School in Maryland over the next 12 months; Advanced Space Academy counselor 1997-1999

Dr. Andrea Hanson - Post-doctoral Research Scientist/Engineer at the University of Washington; currently the project coordinator to develop bone health monitoring hardware for use during future lunar mission; Advanced Space Academy Counselor 2000 & 2002

Friend of Space Camp

Danny Jaques - As a science teacher he has coordinated and brought school groups from southwest Colorado since 1994; graduate of the 2002 Space Academy for Educators program


The induction ceremony will be held on August 20, 2010 at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

As the August 20, 2010 date for the 2010 Space Camp Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony continues to close in, it’s worth mentioning that nominations are currently being solicited.

The nominations are due in by May 6, 2010 so as to give Space Camp enough time to sort though all of the excellent candidates and choose those that will make it into the fourth class of Space Camp Hall of Fame inductees.

So if you know someone worthy of consideration, and they meet one of the three categories, be sure to get a nomination form in for them!

It seems Dottie will be getting an extra day in orbit as STS-131 has had their mission extended a day to allow for extra time to inspect Discovery’s heat shield.

From SpaceFlightNow:
When the Ku-band system is working, they will actually do that late inspection after they have undocked and that will clear the thermal protection system for entry. Since we need to use the ISS Ku-band system to downlink all those files and the video, obviously we need to do that before they have undocked. So we needed to have the time to perform those inspections.

I guess she’ll just have to cope with the delay! Somehow, I think she and the rest of the crew will manage.

With the successful launch of STS-131 this fine morning, Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger became the first Space Camp alumnus to reach orbit!

Despite a minor setback with the mission plan, the crew of STS-131 is sure to have a successful mission.

And then there will only be three.

Several of Space Camp’s staff were on hand in Florida this morning to witness firsthand this proud day in Space Camp’s illustrious history.

If you missed their live Tweets, be sure to visit the official Space Camp Twitter feed for photos and merriment from the Cape!

Space Camp has also issued an official press release celebrating Dottie’s historic space shot!

ny shuttle launch is a very exciting and special event.

But STS-131, scheduled to lift-off from Launch Complex 39-A tomorrow at 6:21am EST, is particularly special for Space Camp.

Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, Space Camp’s first alumnus astronaut and Space Camp Hall of Fame inductee, will make her very first space-shot!

Representatives from Space Camp are down at the Cape right now to witness the launch, and as you can see above, Discovery’s sitting on the pad, ready to go!

Be sure to check out Space Camp’s Twitter Feed for their updates from Florida.

Dottie has been kind enough to take with her to space a full complement of Space Camp, Space Academy, and Aviation Challenge wings!

For a stroll down memory lane, check out Dottie’s Hall of Fame induction video from 2007. She was a recently minted astronaut at that point, preparing even then for the fantastic voyage on which she’s about to embark:

Details are up in spades for the Alumni Weekend this July!

And I am going back to camp!

Space Camp has put together a great overview of the Hall of Fame weekend including the schedule for the Adult Alumni Space Academy session.

Like last year, the camp will only be 3 days instead of the 4 day program they held during the 25th Anniversary, but what an action packed 3 days it’s going to be!

Highlights include a ‘Steak & Egg’ Breakfast with Hoot Gibson, 2 missions, Area 51 and Aviation Challenge time, and admission to both the Saturn/Apollo Reunion Dinner and the Space Camp Hall of Fame Dinner is included!

The tickets alone will cost $60! Just use that to subsidize the cost of camp!

And, it’s gotten even better. Register now and bring a buddy and Space Camp will take $100 off of both your tuitions!

So while the session is a bargain at the following prices:

Without housing: $349
With housing: $399

It’s a downright steal when you bring a friend:

Without housing: $249
With housing: $299

That’s a great deal! In fact, if you extrapolate that out to a six day session, that would be $598!

Opening my 1993 program guide that I happen to have in front of me at this very moment, I see here that Space Academy Level I was $650 for a Summer session for six days! That was sixteen years ago!

GO TO SPACE CAMP!

Here are all the details directly from Space Camp, in lovely PDF form.

Unfortunately, it seems MAX-Q will not be able to come to Space Camp and perform for the 2009.

So this is not the turn of events we were all hoping for...But, as it went last year and the year before that, there is always next year.

And the Hall of Fame event has for the past two years proven to be an excellent time!

Two more months!

Gadget blog Gizmodo published an article yesterday entitled, Confessions of a Space Camp Alum.

Wilson Rothman details his Space Camp mis-adventure from way back in 1986. It’s always fascinating to read about and see pictures from Space Camps of years gone by, so I encourage you to check out the article!

Of course, this article is written in traditional Gizmodo fashion....

In the summer of 1986, I spent a week at Space Camp in Huntsville, AL. Not only that, but in our final mission, I crashed our Space Shuttle.

Thanks to bnaivar for pointing out the article in this HabForum post!

Planning for the 3rd Annual Space Camp Hall of Fame Ceremony is currently underway and it looks like it’s finally going to be what I always hoped for. Namely, a fun, relatively casual affair with good food, good music, and good Space Camp company, with little concern for superficial formalities. Don’t get me wrong. I thought the previous two Hall of Fame events were both wonderfully done! I’ve always just felt that they were inappropriately formal and out of character for Space Camp.

As the month of March draws to a close, two issues are most pressing.

One, nominations are due for the Hall of Fame by the end of this month! So if you have a worthy soul in mind, be sure to get the nomination in for him or her soon!

Go here for nomination details and links to the nomination forms.

The second pressing issue is to find a Master of Ceremonies for the event.

I’ve been hearing rumors with some great names tossed about, and I’m sure whoever gets chosen will do a great job, but I just heard one potential host was dismissed out of hand and I wanted to comment...

Read More...

I just got back from the 5th Annual Saturn/Apollo Reunion and Larry Capps, CEO of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, mentioned briefly that, unbeknownst to me, the Second Annual Space Camp Hall of Fame Ceremony will be broadcast over the internet from Space Camp’s website.

According to the announcement on the Space Camp homepage, you’ll need only point your web browsers to http://www.spacecamp.com/HOFvideoStream.html to see the ceremony live beginning at 7:00pm Central Daylight Time on Saturday. Please note that the link is dead as of the time of this writing, but check back. And if it’s still not up by 7pm tomorrow, check the Space Camp homepage to see if they’ve moved it to somewhere else.

This is fantastic! Now I not only have to worry about speaking in front of the audience in the room, but also the internet at large!

Seriously though, it’s bound to be an exciting evening and you’ll get to watch astronauts Jim Halsell and Hoot Gibson speak!

This is a truly marvelous thing Space Camp has done. If there was any criticism to be made of the first Space Camp Hall of Fame ceremony, it’s that, given its high ticket price and black tie nature, it was too exclusive and exclusionary.

But this year quite literally everyone that wants to see the show should be able to!

Well done, indeed.

Now if only I had a speech prepared!

The dinner was awesome, and the first alumni session is going FANTASTIC.

Area 51 just happened. This was my first time on the new course! It is excellent. The old one was great and this one is even better!

But now I have to get back into the thick of it! More to come later!

The wait is over!

The first group of friends, alumni, and staff to be inducted into the fame was announced today!

Here's the list:

Wernher von Braun
Ed Buckbee
Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger
Georg von Tiesenhausen
Dan Oates
Amanda Stubblefield
James Rice
Penny Pettigrew

An article from the Huntsville Times can be read online and it gives a short overview of everyone's backgrounds (though I hope you know who Wernher von Braun is).

Congratulations to the inductees!

Come in person to the Hall of Fame event and see them inducted! Hear Shatner sing! Get your tickets soon!

Pardon the length of time for getting this out, but the April Alumni Newsletter has been released. I swear, a guy can't move down to Huntsville without tons of stuff happening. This was one of them.

Brian Matney, another Hab1-er is the featured alumnus this month. Amongst other achievements, Brian is the one responsible for THAT team patch. The one example that counselors always highlight when discussing mission patches. Read the article for a view of it. You're bound to go "Ohhh...THAT patch!"

The newsletter also features news on the 25th anniversary activities and a nice educator camp piece. Again, go read!

And this reminder is to say that any and all remaining nominations you plan to submit for someone to be considered for entrance into the Space Camp Hall of Fame must be submitted by March 31, one week from today.

The Space Camp Alumni Newsletter for March is available now.

Highlights include an overview of the festivities planned thus far for Space Camp's 25th as well as Robert Pearlman, founder of collectSPACE.com, as the featured alumnus.

I've been late in getting this one out. My apologies.

Alumni Andi was back last week to disclose the final plans for the 25th Anniversary Hall of Fame Event.

Though not yet the official word from above, I'm willing to bet it's accurate.

Details from the posting: It'll be downtown at the von Braun Civic Center. Tickets will be $100 for alumni who purchase by May 13th and $150 for the general public. Tickets will be available at the museum front desk, through reservations, and online.

I guess they decided to go big and, I assume, black tie with this! Should be a fun night!

Cooler still is the Alumni Banquet they'll be holding on June 16th with MAXQ playing the gig! Tickets for that will be $35. If you're signed up for the alumni camp that weekend, you're golden.

Finally, there was a rather disturbing piece of her post that essentially said that people such as Ed Buckbee and Dr. von Teisenhausen have not yet been nominated for the Hall of Fame!

They will of course need at least one person to nominate them to be considered. In all fairness, one would have thought a select few would have been above the standard nomination rules...apparently not!

So, let's do this in an organized fashion. Go read her post, look at some of the names she's mentioned. If you know the name and go, like I did, "Oh gosh! I can't believe XYZ-person might not make it in," then go and nominate them and then come back and post here. I wouldn't worry too much about the address and such...I'm willing to bet they know how to get hold of most of them.

I'll start with Ed Buckbee.

Andi, you can expect my form within a few days as it will be going out in the mail today.

By the way, and this is just an aside, did you know Ed Buckbee is listed in the phone book?! That seemed really wild to me! To paraphrase heavily a line from a movie, the guy that founded Space Camp shouldn't be in the phonebook. He should be on Mars or Neptune somewhere.

Anyway, that's one down.

Alumni Andi has returned with a lot of great new information! Be sure to check out her MySpace site for all the new info.

First up, the 25th Anniversary flags have returned from NASA! All 249 flags that were flown on STS-116 were delivered to the Space & Rocket Center recently. They will now be mounted in their shiny displays and given to select individuals and contributors.

Of course, one way to get yours is to send in an entry to the #1 Space Camp Fan contest. As a reminder, entries must be postmarked by March 30th.

March is upon us and I wanted to make this post to remind y'all (I'm prepping for my return to Huntsville) that both the Hall of Fame Nominations as well as the #1 Space Camp Fan entries are due by the end of this month!

One month left! Hurry!

The February Alumni Newsletter is out now, for your enjoyment. Go check it out!

Speaking of the newsletters, the January Alumni Newsletter's "Alumni Spotlight" section featured none other than me, myself, and Hab1.com (I was shocked too)!

I would like to thank Holley Gautney for the excellent write-up! And whoever had the idea of putting me in there in the first place, thanks!

That, for the record, was Space Camp's first public acknowledgment of our little slice of the internet.

On a somewhat related note, while I'm on the subject, I have been pleased to see their recent efforts to keep their alumni engaged.

I think the repeat attendance it leads to can be (and is) a core pillar in keeping Space Camp financially healthy. I've said many times that this site is only around because Space Camp needed it (granted, I did too) but wouldn't do it. Congratulations, Jason!

Finally, I missed mentioning earlier that the HabForum's own Jason Schreck was the featured alumni in the December Alumni Newsletter for, amongst other achievements, his good work at the NASA Langley museum.

Space Camp has released information regarding the Space Camp Hall of Fame induction.

To get someone in, here are the criteria and how to nominate them...from the website:

1. 
   
2. Nominations: A nomination for induction into the SPACE CAMP Hall of Fame may be submitted by any Alumni or friend of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. A nominee must meet the criteria in one of the following categories (nominee may meet criteria for multiple categories) :
   
   • 
     
   • SPACE CAMP Alumnus : A former graduate of any SPACE CAMP and/or AVIATION CHALLENGE program. Must be at least 21 years of age and must have graduated from the program at least five (5) years prior to date of nomination. Nominees must be, or have been a credit to himself and the SPACE CAMP programs and have distinguished him/her self in their chosen professional field. The inductee may be either living or deceased.
   • 
     
   • SPACE CAMP Counselor/Staff : A nominee must have been a member of the professional staff (including counselor, support staff) for at least 1 full season but that has retired or left the employ of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center at least 3 years prior to nomination. Must have distinguished him/her self by demonstrating exceptional leadership, character, and achievement in his/her chosen professional field. The inductee may be living or deceased.
   • 
     
   • SPACE CAMP Friend : Any person who has been a loyal and devoted supporter of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and/or SPACE CAMP for a minimum of 5 years. The inductee may be either living or deceased.
   • 
     
   
   
3. How many to be inducted: No more than ten (10) nominees from across all of the categories may be inducted in any given year.
   
4. Selection Process: A nine-member selection committee made up of friends of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center will make selection of each year's inductees.
   
5. Nomination Form: should solicit the following information from nominator:
   
   • 
     
   • Candidate Name (Maiden Name if applicable); Address; Phone
   • Dates Attended and/or Employed
   • Nominated by; Phone
   • Outstanding Achievements while attending/employed
   • Personal/Professional Achievements to date in chosen professional field. (Where are they now?)
   • 
     
   
   
   

No word on when nominations are due, so I would suggest you error on the side of caution and get them in sooner rather than later.

In honor of the 25th Anniversary, Space Camp is having a contest to determine just who is the #1 Space Camp fan!

The prizes are excellent, including VIP treatment at the 25th Anniversary events in June!

All you have to do is make a 3-5 minute video explaining just what makes you Space Camp's (or Aviation Challenge's) number one fan!

You can download the rules and entry form here.

The deadline for submission is March 30, 2007.

Finally, here's an idea, if you're stuck thinking of something:

Make a video of yourself getting the Space Camp or Aviation Challenge logo tattooed on your arm or something! That's gotta show you're a pretty big fan of Space Camp.

You know, not that I seriously considered doing that myself for even a minute...Really!

Space Camp has been soliciting alumni photos for some time now. They've gone and posted some now!

You can view them on the Alumni Photo Gallery and submit your own photos as well!

This is really old news that I have been incredibly negligent to have not posted sooner, but Brent Simon has been making rounds on the internet for months now with his "Space Camp" song.

What should be the true Space Camp theme song, here's the original:



Well, he's been appearing on real shows as well (the G4 network, for example).

But, as Alumni Andi recently pointed out, he just made an appearance on Live with Jimmy Kimmel to sing "Space Camp!"



Alumni Andi's comments were most amusing as well:

Consider this, with the flood of 25th Anniversary excitement is there anyone that can compete with Brent's display of SPACE CAMP LOVE in the upcoming #1 Space Camp Fan contest?

If it's going to take getting on the Jimmy Kimmel show to win the contest, I would say everyone has their work cut out for them! But the results should be quite interesting!

I'm so late on this one, but thought it was still definitely worth mentioning.

Charity Nehls was recently revealed as the one who has been putting the effort into the myspace page. Along with that site, she along with many others have been preparing for the 25th anniversary celebration.

I'm sure it's going to be one great time. And she hopes (like I hope) to see everyone there!

Alumni Andi is you and me, but pull back the curtain and there is Charity Nehls doing all the work for our cause: this site, this anniversary, for each of us. She works in Planning and Logistics at the USSRC making all the schedules and duty rosters, so that camp will run well. She is a 3 time alumni, Right Stuff recipient, and lover of Space Camp!

Update: It has come to my attention from this recent blog post that Charity Nehls may not have been happy with my choice of photo. While I felt that she looked perfectly lovely in the photo I chose to post, I will admit that it is a few years old. And if I were luckily enough to be someone who happens to grow more beautiful as time goes on, I too might be upset. So this is understandable. In the interests of good diplomacy, I have replaced the photo circa 2004 with the more patriotic one as presented in the blog.

So there seems to be some mystery surrounding the identy of Alumni Andi and her MySpace alumni page.

Apparently once 200 people add her as a friend, all will be revealed. In the meantime, a photo is to be released (I can only guess it will be shot from afar or something).

So I am going to post a picture of myself tomorrow. Since I will be passing through Huntsville, where would the group like to see me at?

Regardless, head on over, either to add a new MySpace friend or to suggest where the photo should be taken from!

Even if you don't want to sign up for a MySpace account, I would like to stress that you should definitely go check out the Space Camp "Alumni Andy" page!

The blog is an especially good read (and not just because this site was mentioned)!

In it are some very good details (with many more to come, I'm sure, so keep reading) including:

Space Camp has registered spacecampalumni.com to reach out to alumni (it's about time...they have a start, at least).

Also, there's a sweepstakes you can enter to get a free trip to camp (or a shiny 25th anniversary rubber bracelet, at the very least).

But you'll have to visit the blog for that link!

In what has surely been a long time coming, Space Camp now has an astronaut to truly call its own!

Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger who is one of the new batch of astronauts also attended Space Camp!

To be more specific, I believe she attended Space Academy for Educators in 1990...the details have been a little unclear.

Regardless, it's nice to finally have one! While it may have taken twenty-two years for it to happen, such a thing certainly was inevitable!

Recently crowned Miss New Mexico and two time Advanced Space Academy alumnus Jenna Hardin will be competing on Monday in the Miss USA Pageant!

The pageant will air on NBC Monday night starting at 9:00PM Eastern Daylight Time. A special Miss USA FearFactor will be on right before that, but I don't believe they've announced which women have been chosen to participate.

Watch and support your fellow Space Camper! Also, during the pageant, make sure you visit the Miss USA website and vote for Miss New Mexico for the "Miss Photogenic Award!" The online votes will be tallied and announced at the end of the competition. So be sure to go vote!

And to find out just how she got involved in such a crazy event, see here.

Update: Jenna's made it into the top 15!
Update:And she was just robbed, not making it into the top 10. Tough break indeed!