Astronauts Speak to SPACE CAMP® Students

NASA Stars students received a special treat during SPACE CAMP this winter. On January 25, 2007, at the Marshall Space Flight Center Educator Resource Center, NASA astronauts Col. (Ret.) William McArthur, Jr. and Col. Jeffrey Williams spoke to 210 SPACE CAMP students.

Col. McArthur participated in three Shuttle missions, STS-58 Columbia, STS-74 Atlantis, and STS-92 Discovery. He also served as Commander and International Space Station (ISS) Science Officer on Expedition 12, a six-month tour of duty aboard the ISS. Similarly, Col. Williams flew STS-101 Atlantis, the third Shuttle mission devoted to ISS construction. He also served as Flight Engineer and Science Officer on Expedition 13, a six-month tour aboard the ISS.

After each astronaut gave details of his NASA experiences, students were allowed to ask questions, some of which included, “Is it hard to exercise in space?” and “When did you become interested in being an astronaut?”

Col. McArthur placed particular importance on a strong educational background in becoming an astronaut: “You are studying to become grown-ups, and even though the subjects may sometimes seem boring, it's important to always do your best!”

SPACE CAMP Scholarships

It is scholarship season again at the USSRC and the Scholarship Office has received 427 applications. 38 of these applicants will receive full scholarships. If you would like to sponsor a child for a SPACE CAMP scholarship, or for more information about donating to the SPACE CAMP Scholarship Fund, please contact Kelly Hatley at 256-864-7833.

SPACE CAMP Media Coverage

SPACE CAMP recently received recognition in a Wisconsin newspaper thanks to USSRC Planning and Logistics Assistant Manager, Charity Nehls. Originally hailing from Watertown , WI , Nehls arranged for the Watertown Daily Times to spotlight her SPACE CAMP experiences in a January 31 article. Nehls commented on her childhood SPACE CAMP experience (she attended three times) and how it changed her life. It even brought her back to the USSRC as an employee! Nehls also spoke about SPACE CAMP's 25 th Anniversary and how she hopes that other Watertown children will take part in this summer's birthday celebration.

To view this article, please visit www.wdtimes.com/articles/2007/01/31/news/news3.txt .

Alumni Spotlight

Born February 15, 1979, in Hinsdale , Illinois , Brian Szymanski fell in love with space at the age of four when his father gave him a picture from the Challenger Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) satellite deployment. This passion encouraged Brian to pursue an education in teaching, receiving an Associates degree from the College of Dupage in June 1999, a Bachelors degree in May 2002, and Masters from Lewis University in 2006.

After completing graduate research at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), Brian became involved with SPACE ACADEMY for Educators, receiving the " Right Stuff " award upon graduation in 2003. Brian returned to Advanced SPACE ACADEMY the following year with seven friends. He says both the SPACE CAMP experience and working with the NASA Educator Resource Center helped him figure life out: “I knew I was on the right path for space education.” In February 2005, Brian flew aboard the parabolic weightless flight G Force One , earning "weightless certification" in zero gravity conditions over the Gulf of Mexico with two-time Shuttle astronaut Dr. Sam T. Durrance .

Brian recalls that Katrine Balch, USSRC Education Director, particularly inspired him, as well: “I owe my life to the wonderful people that make this program so effective in positively touching other's lives.”

If you have a SPACE CAMP alumnus you would like to spotlight in a future newsletter, please e-mail holleyg@spacecamp.com .

The SPACE CAMP Love Connection

SPACE CAMP is notorious for bringing its summer counselors together as romantic couples, and as any current or former USSRC employee knows, at least one couple among the summer staff usually begins a life-long relationship together. In honor of that tradition, the USSRC would like to spotlight one of these “star-crossed” SPACE CAMP couples.

Ruth Marie Oliver and Christopher Key did not meet at SPACE CAMP, although they did both attend separately. They met 300 miles outside of Huntsville , Alabama , through a mutual Camp friend. Ruth and Chris chatted over AIM instant messenger for several months until finally meeting face to face. Chris invited Ruth to a Super Bowl party and they began hanging out much more after that.

On St. Patrick's Day 2001, Ruth and Chris had their first DTR (Define the Relationship) conversation and decided to date exclusively. Distance would keep them apart, though, as Ruth accepted a position with Discovery Middle School in Madison , Alabama , and Chris moved to Detroit , Michigan , as a consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). While maintaining their relationship was difficult, the distance proved that absence does make the heart grow fonder. Chris decided to ask Ruth to marry him.

Chris found a local jeweler to custom mold a “moon rock” that was based on a necklace and set of earrings he had given her the previous year. It even included its own display case, complete with black felt and LED lights. As part of the mock display, Chris also made a small sign, which professed his love (shown left).

For Ruth and Chris, it wasn't enough that they both attended SPACE CAMP as kids, or that they both worked at Camp as young adults, or that they were both interested in spaceflight. They were also both pilots, and because of this, they were married on April 17, 2004, with the reception following in an aircraft hangar. It was a celebration of their unique and “spacey” lives, complete with Moon pies and their own mission patch. The couple's wedding bands also symbolized their uniqueness: Hers is inscribed with Come Fly with Me,the title of a special Frank Sinatra tune, while his reads To the Moon and Back, a phrase from Sam McBratney's children's book, "Guess How Much I Love You.”

Ruth and Chris now call Huntsville , Alabama their home, where she works at the USSRC as Program Manager for AVIATION CHALLENGE, and he works as a Business Services and Information Technology Consultant for PwC in Birmingham , Alabama .

If you would like to share your SPACE CAMP couple story, please email us at alumni@spacecamp.com .

New Adult Alumni and Parent-Child Alumni SPACE CAMP Sessions

This summer, the USSRC will be holding Adult Alumni and Parent-Child Alumni SPACE CAMP sessions in honor of the 25 th Anniversary. These camps are open to alumni (defined as former staff members and/or campers) ages 19 and above.

Adult Alumni sessions will be June 14-17 and August 2-5. Activities will include training simulators, tours of the renovated campus, water survival training, and guest speakers. Program cost including housing will be $399. Cost without housing will be $349. 

Parent-Child Alumni sessions will be June 15-17 and August 3-5. In addition to the regular Parent-Child activities, this weekend will include Meet-and-Greet with astronauts and VIP guests and a Saturday night reception with dinner and dancing. Program cost with housing will be $349 per person; $898 for one parent, one child, and one additional family member; and $998 for one parent, one child, and two additional family members.

For more details on these programs, please visit our Web site. Register online at www.spacecampalumni.com with promotional source code ALM25.

Updated 25 th Anniversary info

Special 25 th Anniversary events are filling up the 2007 calendar. Actress Chase Masterson ( Star Trek: Of Gods and Men and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ) and award-winning director James Kerwin will kick off the festivities on May 17 th at 6:00 p.m. by hosting a panel discussion of Dr. Wernher von Braun's recently released book, “Project Mars: A Technical Tale.”

On June 13 th , William Shatner will emcee the first ever SPACE CAMP Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Ten alumni members will be inducted, and thereafter chosen annually, from nominations submitted online at www.spacecampalumni.com . Nominations for this year's ceremony will be accepted until March 31, 2007.

Other special guests attending this summer's celebration will include NASA astronauts Story Musgrave and Bob Springer, Michael Durant ( Black Hawk Down ), Commander Trish Beckman (first female F-15 and F/A-18 crewmember), and many more!

Please continue to visit www.spacecampalumni.com for updated 25 th Anniversary information.