Growing up I saw the commercials for Space Camp and looked on with wonder. I wanted in. I wanted to pilot a spaceship. I wanted to fly to the moon. I wanted that blue flight suit. I wanted to be close enough to the stars to touch them.I wanted to do cartwheels on the moon.
I wanted it all.
I did not get it.
Like many kids, I never made it to Huntsville, AL, which I learned to my surprise as a grown up houses more than Space Camp.
I didn’t make it because I had a choice: Space Camp or dance camp and I loved my tutus. And that flight suit will never win in a cuteness contest with a sparkly pink tutu. And thus ended my Space Camp dreams.
But for many kids around the country their dreams are dashed for a very different reason: money. Space Camp is pricey.
On Labor Day, singer-songwriter Marian Call is leaving Dragon*Con a day early (and bringing some friends with her) to raise money to help send kids to Space Camp at Rocketfest. This event will be held at the US Space and Rocket Center from 10am-4pm or watch online here. All proceeds will go to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Foundation.
Singing for Space
- Family events and activities
- Entertainment
- Live music
- Giveaways
Now, when I think of places to hear live music, the US Space and Rocket Center (USSRC) is not typically on my radar. So how did they end up with a pretty awesome line-up of folks? I went and had a chat with my friends at the USSRC to find out. They told me it was Marian who actually suggested making this event a fundraiser, after the USSRC approached her about performing.“She is a big supporter of the importance of science and what a great place to help show that,” Charity Stewart, Advertising and Social Media Manager at USSRC, told me.
The special guests she mentioned? Those would be:
- Phil Plait– an astronomer who runs the Bad Astronomy website and blog, and spends his days debunking bad science and popular misconceptions
- Molly Lewis– a songwriter specializing in comedic songs on pop culture topics that trend toward the nerdy
- George Hrab– a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter (the list goes on and on) who has traveled to four continents promoting critical thinking, science, and skepticism through story and song.
- Joseph Scrimshaw– a writer, actor and “geek flavored” comedian
- Ken Plume– an author and broadcaster where his interview subjects included the likes of Stephen Colbert, Ernest Borgnine, John Hodgman, and Ricky Gervais to name a few
More than Camp
So why are these folks giving up their Labor Day? Why do they care if some kids that they don’t know get to go to Space Camp or not? Not having been to Space Camp, I figured I was missing something, so I went back to my USSRC friends.
“Space Camp is more than just a place to learn about aerospace and rockets. It allows kids to spread their wings and try something new.
“They have the opportunity to make new friends from all over the world, and while being immersed in a world of astronaut training and interactive educational hands-on experiences, are able to also practice and gain lifelong values of teamwork, communication, confidence, courage, and leadership,” Amee Hallbach, Media & Communications Strategist at the USSRC told me.
Marian echoed Amee’s sentiments:
“Space Camp is something people love, and I’m a firm believer in supporting what we love in concrete ways. I hope that folks around the globe, for whom Space Camp is out of reach, can tune in to this event and feel connected to the work they do. I think it’s significant for us to collectively say, this work is important, getting kids excited about science and exploration is a worthy cause,” Marian explained.
Joseph Scrimshaw, another one of Marian’s special guests, sees another value in Space Camp.
“I think the idea of exploration is valuable. I think kids naturally want to explore–whether it’s in their backyard or a video game–so Space Camp is a great productive way to support that drive,” Joseph told me.
Excited about Science
Hearing Joseph talk about the drive to explore made me think back to my childhood and think how different it is for kids today. My brother and I played endless games of exploring in our backyard, using our imagination. Do kids still do that? Or have we refocused our priorities? I found that Marian shared my worries.
“Learning these days has gotten to be about knowing facts and passing tests. I think that doing experiments and spending time in wonder about the natural world is what hooked me on science, and on education in general — I got into school because of things like homemade rockets, not memorizing facts. It’s a gateway to understanding why the boring parts of education are worth it. Maybe that’s why I’m more focused on ‘science excitement’ and not just science education — kids will never feel a science education is worth having if they don’t first encounter a spark of passion and fascination,” Marian mused.
[pullquote align=”left”]”Kids will never feel a science education is worth having if they don’t first encounter a spark of passion and fascination.”-Marian Call[/pullquote]If we don’t have kids that grow up excited about science, we won’t develop the next generation of doctors, scientists, engineers.
“The kids of today are the leaders of tomorrow, so it is crucial that we impress on these kids the importance of science, math and technology. Our goal [at Space Camp] is to inspire the next generation of world leaders, explorers, scientists, and engineers and what better way to apply this than through a program like Space Camp,” Amee explained.
To truly develop the best talent society needs to encourage everyone.
“I think science is important to boys and girls equally, I just think that some girls have been socialized to feel that it’s off-limits for them. That was true for me a little bit growing up, and I wish I had known I could own my love of science. I hope girls who love science today will be fostered in that love instead of discouraged. I think it’s important that we give both boys and girls every reason to be excited about science, and every reason to think they can access it,” Marian told me.
Space Camp Fans
It’s easy to see why Space Camp has so many fans. It recently celebrated it’s 30th year anniversary, and I happened to be at the USSRC that weekend and let me tell you, it was a madhouse. In a good way. You could literally feel the excitement in the air.
I pulled just a couple (from thousands) quotes from folks who’ve attended Space Camp over the years to give you an idea of what graduates have to say:
“Of all the camps my boys have been to over the years, this is THE one they can’t wait to go back to again and again!”
“Amazing programs and opportunities for kids and adults alike! Team Building, communication, science, math, technology, and FUN are their mission… and it’s mission: accomplished every time!”
“Yes, Space Camp is the best trip EVER! I could go every year and learn something new!”
And then there’s Charity Stewart, the Space Center’s Advertising and Social Media Manager, a Space Camp graduate:
“I went to Space Camp 3 times as a child. It was amazing! This was a place I looked forwarded to coming to because I felt accepted by my peers. It was cool to talk about space and science but it was fun too. For me it changed my life literally.
My exposure to the program eventually lead me here for an internship and then on to a career. I have reconnected with former counselors from my time then and also had the privilege to hear every day from alumni who have similar stories,” Charity told me.
For the record, neither Marian nor Joseph ever got to attend Space Camp. But you can help the next generation of people like Marian and Joseph go to Space Camp, no matter what their parents’ finances by coming out this Labor Day to Rocket Fest.
Event Information
Date: Monday, September 3rd
Time: 10am-4pm
Location: US Space and Rocket Center
Cost: FREE with admission to the Space and Rocket Center. Donations accepted online at the event and online.
All proceeds go to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Foundation.
Guest blogger for We Are Huntsville. Are you interested in writing a post for our site? Email katelyn@wearehuntsville.com.
