As the U.S. Space & Rocket Center continues to prepare for SPACE CAMP's 25th Anniversary celebration, special projects are already underway. Commemorative 25th Anniversary flags will launch aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle mission in December of this year. When the flags return from space, they will be framed and mounted and given as commemorative gifts to special SPACE CAMP alumni, friends, and 25th Anniversary guests. The excitement of SPACE CAMP's 25th year is in the air!
SPACE CAMP Alumni Suggestion Box
Attention SPACE CAMP alumni! Would you like to offer suggestions on how to make SPACE CAMP's 25th Anniversary celebration better? Do you have ideas about what the Center can do to improve your experience as a SPACE CAMP alumnus? For suggestions, questions, or comments please email us at alumni@spacecamp.com so we can put your great ideas into practice. You can also provide us with feedback by visiting our alumni Web page at www.spacecamp.com/anniversary25th/ (coming soon).
Great Changes Coming to AVIATION CHALLENGE!
Since the beginning of the AVIATION CHALLENGE program at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, students have experienced a variety of flight simulations for aerospace training. Unfortunately, these missions, however educational, have seemed more like prehistoric video games rather than a real world simulation. But all of this is about to change.
New flight simulator software is scheduled to be installed in April 2007 and will give students the ability to fly anywhere on Earth or Mars. Instructors can even freeze aircraft in the middle of aerial engagements to show students the specifics of aerial combat.
AVIATION CHALLENGE staff members are currently rewriting mission scenarios to accommodate these new software capabilities. Larger numbers of aircraft and more realistic flight scenarios will help to make AVIATION CHALLENGE a special addition to SPACE CAMP's 25th Anniversary.
USSRC Staff Alumni Spotlight
Mike Flachbart, Vice President of Aerospace Programs for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, first heard of SPACE CAMP on November 18, 1985, in Washington, D.C., while watching the U.S. Space Shuttle Enterprise arrive at Dulles Airport on a modified Boeing 747. Inspired by what he heard about such an exciting experience, Mike attended SPACE ACADEMY for Adults on the weekend of October 10, 1986. During that session, he met his future wife and had one of the most memorable experiences of his life. After graduating from college in May 1987, Mike decided to return to the Center and work as a SPACE ACADEMY Level I Counselor during the summer. Having just received his business degree, he planned to work the summer out as a counselor and then put his new education to use in corporate America.
But the unique pull of SPACE CAMP proved to be too strong to resist. Working as a SPACE CAMP counselor was so fulfilling that Mike decided to stay on as a staff member. Nineteen years after that turning point, Mike still works with the Center and its SPACE CAMP programs. Over the years he has advanced from a Level I Counselor to his current position as Vice President of Aerospace Programs. During his tenure with SPACE CAMP, Mike explains that he "has had the privilege of working alongside thousands of exceptional counselors and the honor of being part of the SPACE CAMP experience for hundreds of thousands of young people." What an impressive accomplishment, and what a remarkable addition to our SPACE CAMP alumni!
If you have a SPACE CAMP alumnus you would like to spotlight in a future newsletter, please e-mail holleyg@spacecamp.com.
25th Anniversary Schedule Update
Besides an exciting, summer-long celebration, festivities for SPACE CAMP's 25th year will include:
25th Anniversary Celebration Week - June 13-18
- June 13 - SPACE CAMP Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
- June 15 - Kick-off of Adult Alumni Camps
- June 16 - Dinner, dancing, fireworks, and soon-to-be-announced VIP guests
Astronaut appearances are planned for every Thursday and Friday during June and July
Concluding Anniversary weekend - August 2-5
Dinner, dancing, fireworks
Tentative SPACE CAMP movie showing
