Originally published in 2000
By Russell Deason
The 8th Annual 4-H Aerospace Summer Day Camp was recently held at Martin Junior High School in Austin. The camp, sponsored by the Travis County Extension Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is an opportunity for nine through twelve-year- olds to learn about aviation and space exploration and their related fields. Campers were excited during the first hour of camp when a local television news helicopter landed and they were able to get a close-up view of the helicopter and its interior. There was also a field trip to the University of Texas for a very informative talk by an aerospace engineering professor and a visit by a well known local meteorologist who explained weather phenomena.
The campers attended sessions on living in space and how bats use radar for navigation; they were able to experience simulated space flight, moon walking, and two-dimensional weightlessness through devices available at the camp. Each camper built and launched a rocket while small groups of campers designed and built small solar cars and raced them. The camp concluded with a day long trip to Space Center/NASA in Houston and many of the campers were already making plans to attend camp next year.
