Space Camp today launched a new website. The Space Camp/Aviation Challenge “Alumni Community” is now live at www.spacecamp.com/community/.
Space Camp made the announcement via their Facebook page this morning, but that post was quickly withdrawn. I will speculate that the post was withdrawn because the sign-up process currently requires hands-on approval to activate the account and I think the Space Camp webmaster, Andrew, got a bit overwhelmed.
The announcement of the site was repeated today and reposted though in the form of a communiqué from Dr. Barnhart. She wants to hear from you! At the very least, Space Camp seems to have picked up on the idea of keeping alumni in the loop! It’s a pretty good idea!
Alumni Community definitely hold promise to be a tool to help camper’s find each other, as you can list the dates you attended Space Camp / Aviation Challenge when you register. You had better get them all in when you register though, as there seems not to be a way to add details later.
Update: It seems that you could indeed add / edit your camp information at the time I originally posted this, it was just not very visible, apparently. You can indeed alter your camp info.
Issues such as this give the Alumni Community site a rather rough, rushed feel at the moment, but I’m confident they’ll be adding new features quite rapidly, as the germ of the idea is definitely there.
The Huntsville Times has a good article on the Tranquility Base Rendezvous up on their website, along with a photo gallery from the evening. They posted one video as well.
Space Camp actually posted some video from the event! You can see a quality recording of the procession of Armstrong and VonT at this YouTube link.
Thursday evening’s event at the Space & Rocket Center was a resounding success! The evening went off without a hitch and all involved were witness to an event nearly as rare as a NASA budget increase: Neil Armstrong in a public speaking engagement.
The evening started out with the freshly minted Chairman of the Alabama Space Science Exhibit, Todd Slyman, making his opening remarks. After that, it was time to meet our new CEO, Dr. Deborah Barnhart so that she might bring in the two honored guests of the evening, Dr. Georg von Tiesenhausen and Neil Armstrong!
A note to anyone watching the video, after about 5:30, there’s not much more to see. Dr. Barnhart announced Dr. Georg von Tiesenhausen and Neil Armstrong, but they took a very long time to show up and walk down the isle, so I don’t have video of that. I must say, though, I thought it was especially funny that they had, literally, a wall of children between the audience and Neil Armstrong. Frankly I think we could have taken the kids, but the audience wasn’t with me, so Neil and VonT were able to proceed smoothly to the dais.
Prior to dinner, three exhibits were unveiled and one more announced. The first exhibit, and a new one at that, consists of the Apollo Courtyard Waterfalls, installed outside, greeting visitors as they make their way to the Space & Rocket Center lobby.
The waterfalls were donated by Ursula Mueller, wife of the late Dr. Fritz K. Mueller, in his honor. She was invited onstage to say some words about her husband. She seems like a very sweet lady who is immensely proud of her husband’s accomplishments.
The Apollo 16 capsule, Casper (the friendly capsule), has been given a face lift with an all new lighted, shiny display. The Tranquility Base Rendezvous provided a proper event for the ribbon cutting, with Robert Lightfoot, Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center, having some really good words for the occasion. The Apollo 12 Moon rock is also part of the exhibit (so go see them).
The last exhibit to get a nod at the Tranquility Base Rendezvous was an announcement of an upcoming exhibit. Wayne Zeck of IBM announced their sponsorship of a new exhibit coming soon to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. “The Mind of Saturn” will be a display showcasing the Saturn V Instrument Ring (IU) already on display, along with a host of more information and displays. That original IU only had a paltry 84KB of memory! I’m sure the display will be shiny and I believe it’s due to go on display this summer.
Finally, just before dinner, the newly inaugurated Governor of the State of Alabama, Dr. Robert Bentley, had some kind words to say about America’s accomplishments in space as well as the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
Dinner was good, as dinner often is at a U.S. Space & Rocket Center function. The real highlight of the dinner though was twofold: First was the very excellent performance by the Rocket City Jazz Orchestra (especially when the performed a great rendition of one of my favorites, Destination Moon). The second was the party favor sitting in front of each chair at the table: A space-themed Magic-8 Ball!
After dinner, it was finally time to see what everyone came to see: Dr. Georg von Tiesenhausen and Neil Armstrong!
I will let my rough video speak for itself, as both men were nothing but eloquent:
While we’re celebrating anniversaries here at hab1, I’m embarrassed to admit that I allowed 2010 to pass without noting that Aviation Challenge turned 20!
Though Space Camp has always been my favorite thing, I understand quite clearly what a great program Aviation Challenge truly is.
The new Space & Rocket Center management is looking to increase enrollment numbers at camp this summer by a fair bit. If they’re smart, they’ll concentrate on Aviation Challenge to get results.
As big of a space nerd as I am, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that, amongst kids and teenagers especially, military aviation ought to have larger and farther-reaching mass-market appeal. Top Gun is a much more popular than SpaceCamp.
Increasing AC numbers ought to be the low-hanging fruit.
Further, and having no idea what the numbers actually look like, I would be surprised to find out if Space Camp had better returning camper numbers. AC kids tend to be quite…serious…about Aviation Challenge.
And so while it’s absolutely amazing what Ruth Marie Oliver, longtime boots-on-the-ground manager at AC, and company have been able to do down at the lake with limited resources and limited support as well, perhaps (Aviation Challenge is the red-headed step child of Space Camp. Perhaps that’s why Ruth “Red Bull” Oliver runs it. Zing!), it seems that there’s still a great deal of untapped potential in this twenty-one-years-young camp!
Here’s to a great summer season at Space Camp and Aviation Challenge!
And, again, a very belated congratulations on twenty years!
I would like to thank everyone that’s visited over the past decade. I would especially like to thank everyone who has contributed to the HabForum. I have enjoyed reading your 37,089 posts. Every single one of them! Really!
I often joke that, for a computer nerd, I’m so much more well adjusted than I have any right to be! It’s because of Space Camp I can say that. Space Camp has always been a great refuge for the shy, the intelligent, the outgoing, the curious, and the dreamers. It’s a fantastic place where it’s okay to both know something or know nothing, so long as you’re curious. This site is a testament to the extent to which I value that. I have always thought of this site as my love letter to Space Camp.
Space Camp doesn’t end after the week is over; not for me, at least. And not for those that visit this site. Because if you’ve stumbled into this corner of the internet, you must be pretty committed! But this small corner of the internet is just for us! It’s here where we can help educate, inform, mobilize, and fraternize with fellow Space Campers!
It’s important that we stay engaged with Space Camp through the good times and the bad. Space Camp’s most difficult challenges likely still lie ahead. The biggest challenge Space Camp faces is the challenge that beleaguers America’s space program: in short order, the Space Shuttle will not be able to be the main mechanism for our missions, and future options are still somewhat uncertain. And yet, despite the name, space is not the most important element to Space Camp. The people are. In my now sixteen-plus years of involvement with Space Camp, I have had the great fortune to meet, work with, go to Camp, and speak with so many wonderful people.
The Tranquility Base Rendezvous event seems to have sold out, as tickets are no longer available.
It’s a shame Neil Armstrong wouldn’t let the Space Center eke out a meager amount of money from the event.
Nevertheless, Neil Armstrong is coming and that in and of itself is a very special, rare thing!
Regarding the event, I received the following message today and was asked to pass this along:
This Thursday evening marks a very special night for the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and for Space Camp. Dr. Georg von Tiesenhausen will be receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for Education for all he has done to inspire and educate our camp trainees over the years. We are asking for our alumni to assist us in honoring him by forming a processional line as he enters the Davidson Center for Space Exploration. Volunteers will need to be available from approximately 5pm to 6:30pm and willing to be in blue flight suits. Unfortunately, volunteers will not be able to stay for the actual ceremony. Space is limited so we are asking for a confirmation by close of business Tuesday. Please email [email protected] or 256-721-7105 if you are interested and for more details.
If you weren’t able to get tickets, you can still help out the Space & Rocket Center by volunteering for the event!
I first saw this over at Sprocketeers, but the Huntsville Times has an expanded story about the recent layoff involving USSRC curator, Irene Wilhite and her son, Jamie.
The rumor about those two was, it appears, true.
If nothing else, the comments at the foot of the article are interesting.
Sprocketeers is reporting that a layoff that could affect as many as sixteen USSRC staff members is in the works. Word has it that layoffs could start as early as today, and reach into next week.
Between some financial struggles going on as well as the natural reordering processes that comes when a new CEO enters the picture, this should come as little surprise. My only hope is that the right people get dismissed.
