This Week In Southern Jewish Life

parents, it can also be a way to relive their own childhood trip to Space Camp or get the chance they never had when they were younger.

Families are grouped with other families on teams for astronaut training on simulators like the multi-axis trainer, and they become astronauts and mission control crew members for missions to space. They also get to explore the Rocket Center with their teammates and see the latest images from the James Webb Space Telescope in the INTUITIVE® Planetarium.

Family Space Camp programs are offered throughout the year, most frequently over the summer months.

One thing Space Campers learn is that the early astronauts were military pilots, an idea that launched Space Camp’s sister program, Aviation Challenge, in 1990. Campers get a look into the life of a jet fighter pilot. They take part in search and rescue maneuvers, learn the fundamentals of flight, and test their skills in Top Gun competitions in F-18 flight simulators.

And just like with Space Camp’s influence on future careers, Aviation Challenge has a long history of inspiring future pilots, members of the military and aeronautical engineers.