Space Camp recently began offering “Behind the Scenes” tours for visitors to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

Naturally, I recently went over to the Space Center and took the tour!

My tour left promptly at 2pm and had nearly 20 people in it.  Though there seemed to be only three or four separate groups of people, the overall number was still quite impressive.

The first stop was in front of Intrepid Endeavour.  Our tour guide, Rachel, talked about the missions kids go on and the different positions and locations available and such.

After an intro to Space Camp missions, we were promptly taken to the top of the UAT to see the diving opportunities available to Advanced Space Academy trainees as well as get a bird’s-eye view of the Mission Center Complex.

Three elevator rides later, we were all on the edge of the MCC, taking a gander at the newly-arrived simulators.  It was my first time seeing them and I was elated to hear that they will be in use this Summer!

After the tour of the MCC was complete, we all went–to my great surprise–down to Hab1.  Everyone was able to see where the kids stay, and they had a demo room available for viewing.

The last stop on the tour was the AstroTrek building so overviews of the Multi-Axis Trainer, 5DF Chair, and MMU could be given.

Finally, it was back to the Space Camp Info Desk for a surprise:  Space Ice Cream!  Everyone that went on the tour got a package of ice cream.  I was quite famished and it was a very welcomed treat!

Overall, the tour for Space Camp is very straightforward, and extremely thorough.  Far more so than I would have guessed.  Tour takers received a very good idea of what goes on at Space Camp.  At about thirty minutes, the tour isn’t as fast as a glance at  a diverse training area, but it is far more detailed.

The only critiques I would make–and they are pretty minor–are as follows:

• If handing out space ice cream is going to be a permanent fixture, instead of just handing it out, sell it as a little part of the Space Camp experience for all of those on the tour.  It might make for a good opportunity to talk about the briefings given like Crew Systems and how the kids learn about living and working in space.  Also, if it’s only a temporary give-away, this could be kept on in the future at a reduced cost by opening only a bag or two and giving people samples.  It could even stimulate sales in the gift shop!
• Rachel did a great job of talking about Space Camp and taking everyone around, let me be clear about that.  But, ideally, people should be laughing to themselves at the energy level and enthusiasm displayed by the tour giver.  The perkiness/excitement factor should be turned up to 11!  There was nothing wrong with the presentation as I saw it, but I think that little extra would leave people with a more lasting positive impression about Space Camp.

If you would like to get a tour when visiting the Space Center, simply make your way to the Space Camp Information Desk in front of the MCC, and you can reserve a spot.  Standard tour times are 11:00am and 2:00pm daily, but additional times can be added if they prove especially popular on a given day.

Remember way back when, back when the Training Center Floor used to look like this:

The training center was nice and open and, perhaps most importantly, it was easily viewable by museum visitors as they walked between the museum and Shuttle Park.

How many kids do you think went to Camp over the years because their parents foolishly let them gaze upon the wondrous things that would await them if only they could convince their parents to send them to Space Camp?

Fortunately, Space Camp put a stop to that when they erected the dark glass between the TCF and the walkway and moved all of the non-shuttle simulators out of the TCF and into the Astrotrek building, place large objects that would obscure the view where dark glass would prove impractical.

The Training Center Floor MCC and assorted simulators won’t be getting more easily photographable anytime soon, but parts of Space Camp will be available to what is perhaps the next best thing: tours!

On their Facebook page today, the USSRC announced they would have a “Space Camp Behind the Scenes” tour.  From the looks of the posted photo, several tours will be offered per day and visitors to the Center can go get a glimpse at what Space Camp is all about.

Unfortunately, the MCC won’t be a stop on the tour as there’s not enough room for campers and tour groups they don’t want to interrupt ongoing missions, but other areas previously inaccessible to the public will be on the tour.

If a tour is scheduled for a time when the UAT is not in use, I would really recommend taking people up there to see the TCF MCC.  It would provide a great view and you can discuss the shuttle missions (and upcoming Mars/Lunar missions) from there.

It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a welcome addition that should benefit Space Camp’s enrollment numbers as time goes on.

Space Camp has some new simulators on the way!

You can get a sneak preview of them in a mini photo gallery.

The USSRC Facebook group also posted two more photos for your viewing pleasure.

And they want help naming them.

Space Camp is adding a new simulated mission and we would like your help. There are 5 new components to the mission and we want you to submit suggestions for their names. The parts include: habitat space, lab space, and of course the new lander. So let us know what names you would like to see us use. Next week we will put up a vote of the top ones!

If you have any naming suggestions, feel free to drop them a line on Facebook.

I would love to make a suggestion, myself, but a good idea escapes me.

Space Camp has gained a new look to its websites!

The look of the new site was first previewed on the Community site that launched earlier this month.

At the time it launched, I thought the Community site had a nice, clean look to it, and that look fits nicely with the rest of the site.

Each Space Camp site (Space Camp, Aviation Challenge, and USSRC) all have their own color scheme while retaining the same layout, look, and feel (though the USSRC one reminds me of something I can’t quite place my finger on), each with their own navigation options on the top of the page.  The navigation options are mostly unique, but common where appropriate.  For example, the SC and AC sites both support “Alumni” tabs at the top.

Overall, it’s a modern, clean look for Space Camp!