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Students to Visit SPACE CAMP® The University of Illinois – Cook County Extension will be sponsoring 16 fourth-grade students to come to SPACE CAMP this summer. These students, who will be selected from the University's after-school mentoring program, will now have the opportunity to learn about math, science, and technology in the immersive educational environment of SPACE CAMP. Alumni Spotlight Robert Pearlman, editor of collectSPACE.com, has been a dedicated patron of SPACE CAMP from a very early age, graduating from his first session on August 28, 1987. Robert also attended SPACE CAMP Florida (no longer in existence) in 1988, SPACE ACADEMY 1 in 1989 and 1990, and SPACE ACADEMY Level 2 in 1992 and 1993. Two months before attending in 1987, Robert fell ill with a mysterious abdominal affliction. Between June and August 1987, he had lost 30 pounds and was experiencing severe bouts of pain. His growing interest in space exploration, however, kept him determined to attend SPACE CAMP. Between 1987 and 1988, Robert's condition grew worse and he was often
hospitalized, as conventional treatments failed to relieve his pain. The promise of a trip to SPACE CAMP served as motivation not to give in
to the disease. Robert later learned he was battling Crohn's disease, an ongoing disorder that causes inflammation of the digestive tract.
But his unfaltering dream to become an astronaut translated his pain into a smile when he finally arrived at SPACE CAMP, receiving the
Outstanding Trainee Award in 1988 and 1989. Annual trips to SPACE CAMP served as an important milestone, inspiring Robert to fight against
the disease. He would undergo extensive surgery and hospitalization, From then on, Robert pursued his dream of becoming an astronaut with even more fervor, attending the University of Maryland, College Park. Later in 1995 when the World Wide Web was gaining popularity, Robert established his first space-related website – the Space, Planetary and Astronomical Cyber-Experience, which gained national attention. In 1996, he developed Ask an Astronaut , the first online forum to connect the public with astronauts. Robert was soon approached by the National Space Society (NSS) to develop its own web presence and to join their staff in Washington , D.C. With the NSS, he developed the educator's guide to Tom Hanks' From the Earth to the Moon as well as developed Buzz Aldrin's first website. Still determined to fly in space, Robert joined Space Adventures, Ltd., a space tourism company started by Michael McDowell, Buzz Aldrin, and Peter Diamandis. Robert researched and developed the company's training programs and arranged media coverage. Space Adventures became the first and only company to launch privately-funded spaceflight participants to the ISS. In 1999, Robert co-founded the astronaut-endorsed Starport.com, which was later acquired by SPACE.com. He was then hired by SPACE.com as a producer and manager of community projects. Also in 1999, Robert founded collectSPACE.com, the first website dedicated to space memorabilia collecting, which is now the leading resource for space history enthusiasts, historians, museum curators, educators, students, authors, and individual collectors. Today, Robert is sought as a space history expert and is Vice President of Countdown Enterprises, a leading producer and retailer of space-themed merchandise. He is a member of the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Foundation Board of Directors, serves on the Advisory Committee of the Ansari X PRIZE Foundation, and is on the nominating induction committee for the Astronaut Hall of Fame. Astronauts Visit the USSRC
25 th Anniversary Update This summer is overflowing with festivities for SPACE CAMP's 25 th Anniversary celebration! Beginning Thursday, May 17, at 6:00 p.m., Chase Masterson ( Star Trek: Of Gods and Men and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ) and director James Kerwin will host a panel discussion of Dr. Wernher von Braun's book, “Project Mars: A Technical Tale.” The inaugural SPACE CAMP Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, June 13, at 7:00 p.m. Actor William Shatner and NASA Astronauts Story Musgrave and Jim Halsell will serve as guest speakers for the event. Up to 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. Admission to the event, which will be held in the North Hall of the Von Braun Center, is $150 per ticket. However, SPACE CAMP alumni will receive a special discount price of $100 per ticket if they order before May 13. Don’t forget to use your promotional source code ALM25 when you register! Reserve your ticket now, as we expect this event to be a sell-out! Tables of eight are available for individual purchase at $1,200 each. Corporate tables, which include premiere seating, are available for $1,500. 125 tables are reserved for the event, as we expect approximately 1,000 guests. Tickets for the Hall of Fame Dinner are available for purchase at the USSRC ticket desk and online. Go to www.spacecamp.com and click on the “Buy Tickets Online” icon in the upper left hand corner. A special SPACE CAMP Alumni Reunion Dinner and Dance will be held on Saturday, June 16. This event, which will offer a more relaxed, informal gathering, will include meet and greet, guest speakers, live music, dancing, reminiscing, and fireworks. Admission to the event is $35 per person, and tickets are available for purchase at the USSRC ticket desk or online. Go to www.spacecamp.com and click on the “Buy Tickets Online” icon in the upper left hand corner. Adult Alumni and Parent-Child Alumni SPACE CAMP sessions will also be held this summer. Adult Alumni sessions will be June 14-17 and August 2-5. 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. 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 information on either of these alumni programs, please visit www.spacecampalumni.com. This summer, the USSRC will host special guests from across the United States for our Thursday evening Nights in the Museum events, including USN (Ret.) Commander Trish Beckman, NASA astronauts Bob Springer and Story Musgrave, and Major Jill A. Long. These meet and greet receptions are open to the public. Tickets are available for $25 each at the USSRC ticket desk or online. Go to www.spacecamp.com and click on the “Buy Tickets Online” icon in the upper left hand corner. Also, for a complete listing of 25 th Anniversary guest speakers, please visit www.spacecampalumni.com. Sponsors for SPACE CAMP's 25 th Anniversary include:
Sponsors for the SPACE CAMP Hall of Fame Dinner include:
Sponsors for the SPACE CAMP Alumni Reunion Dinner and Dance include:
Sponsors for the 25 th Anniversary flags include:
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but each August Robert returned to Huntsville . He missed only one year
between 1987 and 1993, when his illness and the death of his father took precedence. 
Crewmembers from STS-116 visited the USSRC on March 6, 2007, to
officially present the 249 SPACE CAMP 25 th Anniversary flags that flew with them aboard the recent shuttle mission. Commander Mark Polansky
and three of his crewmembers – Robert Curbeam, Nicholas Patrick, and Christer Fuglesang – presented the flags to USSRC CEO Larry Capps and also
spoke to a group of SPACE CAMP students and teachers about their experiences in space exploration. The crewmembers answered questions posed by
the students in the audience and shared personal accounts of their mission. 
The presentation of these flags, which will be framed and given as gifts to special SPACE CAMP friends, officially kicked off SPACE CAMP's
25 th Anniversary celebration. In the coming months, SPACE CAMP alumni will be returning to the USSRC for special alumni-centered events,
including Adult and Parent-Child camp sessions and the inaugural SPACE CAMP Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony. 
