Weeklong Adult Space Camp

The place where campers hang out after a long day in the sims.

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gt0163c
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

Post by gt0163c »

p51 wrote:Where's a link for this astronaut for a trainer option? I was telling one of my coworkers about it and he wanted to see a link for it (mainly because I'm pretty sure he doesn't believe it's real).
Try this one:
https://thriva.activenetwork.com/Reg4/( ... Mc7BZBE%3d

It's the "Adult Advanced Space Academy w/ Astronaut" option.
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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gt0163c wrote: Try this one:
Page has expired.
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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SpaceCanada wrote:
gt0163c wrote: Try this one:
Page has expired.
Well, bummer..
If you go through the registration process, selecting Adult for age, Advanced Space Academy for program, October for date it will take you to the same page.
It doesn't say anything about training with Hoot Gibson, that information comes from the (closed) Facebook group. And I'm not sure what they would tell you if you called, since I'm pretty sure they weren't convinced there would be enough people for one full team, let alone more. But, yeah, it's for real. I paid my money. I'm gonna get to go pretend to train like an astronaut with a real, live, (retired) astronaut helping to get it right...or at least as right as you can make it for civilians at a nerd fantasy camp.
Is it October yet? Really, Texas summer is kinda unbearable as it is. This year I'm pretty sure it's going to seem extra long.
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

Post by p51 »

I guess I have to ask the question then; isn't it horrible marketing to make such an option available but only if you know the 'secret handshake'?
Heck, I have my ear to the ground but I wouldn't have known at all that this was going on if I hadn't read about it here. How many more people are there who would have signed up but didn't know of this forum or never looked on facebook at the exact time it was mentioned there?
Makes me wonder how much better attended some of these sessions would be if they were easier to find on the SC homepage...
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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p51 wrote:I guess I have to ask the question then; isn't it horrible marketing to make such an option available but only if you know the 'secret handshake'?
Heck, I have my ear to the ground but I wouldn't have known at all that this was going on if I hadn't read about it here. How many more people are there who would have signed up but didn't know of this forum or never looked on facebook at the exact time it was mentioned there?
Makes me wonder how much better attended some of these sessions would be if they were easier to find on the SC homepage...
I would not call Facebook a "secret handshake" although as a closed group, you do have to be on Facebook, you do have to look for the group, and you have to be admitted. Just a few hoops... ;) It could be worse. It could be on MySpace or a YahooGroup. When was the last time anyone was on those? Yet I digress... I agree, the marketing, like many other aspects of USSRC, is not one of their strengths. Now would better marketing and easier access have led to a larger registration? Maybe yes, maybe no. It could just cannibalize the other adult camps. Perhaps they wanted to limit the size due to lack of resources. It is hard to say as an outsider looking in. USSRC is less than transparent on a lot of things. My gut says that they have yet to work out the details of Astro participation so my advice would be to have muted expectations.

TGIF! 8)
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

Post by p51 »

majtom7 wrote:I would not call Facebook a "secret handshake" although as a closed group, you do have to be on Facebook, you do have to look for the group, and you have to be admitted.
As opposed to having the option itself listed on the actual Space Camp website? 8O
You said it yourself, they clearly don't have the best marketing team out there. The problem with Facebook is that users of Facebook, through time, stop realizing that not every man, woman and child on Earth is on Facebook and get into an insulated construct where they feel that everything on FB is common knowledge to everyone, everywhere, when really there are plenty of people who aren't on FB at all.
Anyone seriously into marketing knows it's downright crazy to list commercial options only on FB or anywhere that is not your main channel for taking reservations and money. Social media, like it or not, runs parallel to all your other marketing options, and not the only channel for them. Especially so when your order options are somewhere else.
Besides all that, if someone is going to look at options for the programs, it's only reasonable that someone's gonna go to the actual CS website. And if that option isn't obvious there, that WILL translate to some folks not signing up who otherwise would have, had they known.
The bottom line is that you can be certain that people who would have signed on for this won't, because they never saw it on the actual SC website.
But, FB users being how they are, rarely ever stop and realize that, like it or not, not everyone is in Facebook or social media...
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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p51 wrote:As opposed to having the option itself listed on the actual Space Camp website? 8O
It was listed on the USSRC site, yet the only way to see it was to start the registration process. You'd have to know what you were looking for or stumble upon it. Maybe that's what John Ramsey et. al. wanted, i.e., to give those who expressed an interest and/or committed elsewhere in supporting those options the first crack at it. I don't know, I lack the information. To me, almost everything at USSRC seems to be run using a different logic than a for profit operation, maybe because it's been a money losing operation for so long and that's the normal people running the show there relate to. Perhaps the focus is on running the kids' & educators' camps so anything adult is a sideshow and treated accordingly. Again, I lack the information. What I do know is that John Ramsey said in October 2014 that a weeklong adult space pilot camp would be listed in January 2015....and it wasn't. He lost all his credibility with me after that.

To me, it appears that the idea was to show USSRC management that an advanced adult space academy was viable. (Based on John Ramsey's remarks, it is still an entry level camp, not advanced. But that's a different discussion... Also only 6 days, not a week...) To do that, all he needed was 1 team to sign up. Everything else was gravy. Two is better. Anything past that - who cares? So what's the cheapest, easiest, and fastest route to accomplish that goal? Facebook... Again, just speculation as I lack the information.
Last edited by majtom7 on Sat Mar 28, 2015 9:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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I think you are being a little unfair to Facebook users. I belong to the Facebook group, but I have been in this forum much longer. I was waiting for the announcement on Facebook too, but when it didn't come, I just kept checking the Space Camp website which is where I eventually found it. After registering, I announced my find on the Facebook page and here, almost simultaneously. I didn't want anyone to be left out. I am disturbed that it is not showing as an option on the Space Camp page any more, even though I have been told that there are still 9 open spots on the second team. I agree that the Adult program is not well supported by Space Camp and that their marketing is very poor. But I don't think that Facebook can be blamed for that. The program that the Facebook group was able to get put together is basically the equivalent of a corporate camp. We had to guarantee a certain number or it wouldn't go. But as well, we opened it to any and all who also might want to attend. To me that is being inclusive, not trying to exclude those who aren't on Facebook. It did take longer than expected to get Space Camp to put it up for registration, but that is their issue, not the Facebook Group.
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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Conan wrote:I think you are being a little unfair to Facebook users.
Can you please clarify who you think is being a little unfair to Facebook users? Since your post follows mine, I would not want people to think you mean me unless, of course, you do. ;)

For the record, I believe that you need to cultivate as many information sources as possible if you're interested in something. Websites, forums like this, Google & Google alerts, email newsletters, Facebook, Yahoogroups, etc. If you're waiting for one website to be updated, you're usually behind the curve. I've checked the USSRC website M-F for months at a time (including Jan & Feb 2015, looking for the camp registration) yet found out more information elsewhere.
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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Conan wrote:I am disturbed that it is not showing as an option on the Space Camp page any more, even though I have been told that there are still 9 open spots on the second team.
Out of curiosity, I looked this morning and both options are there when you check availability.
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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Man I am stoked for this, especially since I was able to still use my $100 off black friday deal :D I haven't seen anyone speak up about signing up for option 1 (without an astronaut) besides me, but I heard that group is doing well too. Wonder who it is signing up...
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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wxnerdjenn wrote: I haven't seen anyone speak up about signing up for option 1 (without an astronaut) besides me, but I heard that group is doing well too. Wonder who it is signing up...
I don't know who's signing up for Option 1, but it sounds like we will have at least three adult teams at Camp that week, possibly four. That exciting. And hopefully is a good indicator that there is interest for week long adult camps and they will, once again, be offered regularly.
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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Looks like there are still some open spots for this although for some reason, they are listed under FY2016... Weekend camps for 2016 are also up on the website.
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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Someone on Facebook posted the schedule for the Adult Advanced Space Academy. As someone who has long asked for a schedule of major activities ahead of time, I feel that it's great that maybe someone finally listened. It also possibly confirms what I've been saying, i.e., there must be a planning schedule used and no one is putting it together two weeks prior. Then again, given that there's an astronaut involved who has a job, maybe he needed to know what the schedule would be. Who knows? all speculation....

The schedule appears to show PLT & MS tracks. I thought that there were not going to be tracks or did I miss something? or are they just showing with and without astro that way? Does anyone have any other information as I know I am definitely more interested if there's tracks.
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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I'm kind of hoping there will be tracks, and that we can pick which one we want to do. I would jump on the pilot track so fast. I'm a button masher/flip switcher through and through, haha.
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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wxnerdjenn wrote:I'm kind of hoping there will be tracks, and that we can pick which one we want to do. I would jump on the pilot track so fast. I'm a button masher/flip switcher through and through, haha.
In the past of all camps I attended, each camper is given a assignment. Last camp we were asked what position would we like & they tried to fulfill what we wanted. :D
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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We got to pick our spots for each mission in January. Our trainer tried to make sure no one got a second go in the orbiter if someone else wanted the spot, but we really had no drama about positions. Pilot is probably my favorite, as landing is so intense and terrifying I spent almost the full 2 hours worrying about it, haha. Pardon me while I lose my train of thought because I'm starting to drool over the thought of all the switches the pilot gets to play with....

I'm so stoked for October I can't even describe it. I've got my flight reserved, just need to call AA and see if I can get it for fewer than 37k miles. Oh and I should probably make sure my friend is ok with me crashing at his house again. He lives in a one bedroom apartment and has a great dane, two cats, and a skunk...so I'm not sure he really needs another house guest :/

Is it October yet?!
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

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wxnerdjenn wrote:We got to pick our spots for each mission in January. Our trainer tried to make sure no one got a second go in the orbiter if someone else wanted the spot, but we really had no drama about positions. Pilot is probably my favorite, as landing is so intense and terrifying I spent almost the full 2 hours worrying about it, haha. Pardon me while I lose my train of thought because I'm starting to drool over the thought of all the switches the pilot gets to play with....
I've done pilot on two STS missions and while I think I'm pretty good at it (I think we had a dream team with me in the right seat and PK here on this forum in the left seat last Fall, even I was surprised at how fast I was tearing through those switches) I'm all about he stick. I have reasonable piloting skills, having landed several military fixed-wing simulators and landed a WW2 trainer plane on my own once (long story there) and have bent my fair share of aircraft around sky (mostly WW2 fighters and bombers, yes, in real life) I know I can get an orbiter on the ground pretty well. I greased the landing the one time I was CDR on a long-duration STS mission at Camp my second trip there. That was made easier because I had someone who really did well in the right hand seat. It's really a team in the front office of the orbiter. If you have a good stick jock in the left seat and someone who's fast on procedures in the right seat (and each can keep their cool), you have a winning team there.
I really wish I had a video of my last two times in the cockpit. I'm convinced in either of those times, we could have gotten a real aircraft on the ground.
wxnerdjenn wrote:I'm so stoked for October I can't even describe it.
You don't have to, we all get it here.
Man, I'm dying inside to a degree, knowing that 2015 is out for me and 2016 might not happen either... :cry:
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Re: Weeklong Adult Space Camp

Post by wxnerdjenn »

There are still spots available on the train with and train like an astronaut teams for the 6 day in October if anyone happens to have the spare money and vacation time laying around. Only about 6 weeks to go!
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