The HabForum

Anyone planning on attending this year given that the 4 days are on holiday weekends and the likelihood of anything longer is remote?

PC

I badly want to get to SC any way I can in 2016, as I was unable to get there last year.
But my office is going through a massive restructuring right now and we'll be blocked from any time off for at least a couple of months in the spring and early summer. I'm just praying that it won't go further than that.
I am planning a possible NASA-inspired road trip with some friends, ending at Huntsville for whatever session is scheduled at that time.
But I can't put myself down for any timeframe yet.
I still am hoping there'll be a "Hoot Camp" 2016, though as I'm still seething that I missed it last year.

Hang in there, I think they're working on something for October.

Hotdog wrote:Hang in there, I think they're working on something for October.

Sounds good. Any idea when we might be hearing something more concrete?
I have made it clear to my wife that I must get back to SC this year after missing 2015 entirely. So assuming that my wife and employer will allow it, my options hopefully will be:
1. Whatever they come up with for a longer-than-3-day program. I'm praying for a "Hoot Camp II"
2. The road trip concept from Houston to a 3- or 4-day standard SC session that I mentioned in my previous post

Advanced Space Academy 8/21-26 $1,349

Options:
Marriot (double occupancy) $350
Custom (customized with team members' names) Mission Patch $12
Airport Transportation Round Trip $25
Photo DVD $30
Flight Suit $90
Clothing Package $90

There's also word that they're working on another Adult ASA (6-day) train WITH an astronaut session for sometime in October. Should be announced, I think they said, in early-to-mid April.

I've been watching the SC site and emailing them since last year (Thank you, sales staff, for being so patient with me). I've been told there will be an Adult Camp Oct 9-14 and it should be posted on the website next month. Last year the dates wouldn't work for us (already committed to family reunion trip), but this year I'm really hoping to surprise my husband with a first time trip for the two of us. I just discovered this forum, and it's provided a wealth of information - thank you so much. I noticed mention of a Facebook group? What's it called, and is it a closed group - I'd like to join that one as well. And I'd very much like to touch base with anyone else thinking about attending in October. I'm so excited about this, especially since discovering this site, and really want to plunge into the experience wholeheartedly!

The group is called "Adult Space Camp Adventure". It is a closed group but I think the admins are pretty good about adding people. Is there word if "Train with an astronaut" will be an option?

gt0163c wrote:Is there word if "Train with an astronaut" will be an option?

I got an email from Terri at Space Camp's sales department a couple of weeks ago and confirmed that indeed, "train with an astronaut" will be offered this year, on October 9-14.

So, who's up for this? My wife and employer have both given me the green light (my wife will stay at home as she has no interest in this for herself).

p51 wrote:

gt0163c wrote:
So, who's up for this? My wife and employer have both given me the green light (my wife will stay at home as she has no interest in this for herself).

I am definitely up for this! Last I heard, registration will open up in early May. I'm hoping to keep it a surprise from my husband until we actually land at Huntsville Airport. I have questions, though, for any of the ASC veterans out there. I called them up today to find out whether Mike & I would be on the same team and whether we could stay in the hab together. The answer was "yes, if you want to" to part A, and "no" to part B. I was a little bit bummed at first, but hey, maybe it will be fun to us to stay in separate dorms and hopefully have a chance to bond with other team members. Do most adult campers stay at the hab or the Marriott? Also, Mike's a coffee fiend - he doesn't want anything fancy, but he's a bear in the morning until he gets a nice cup of good black java. How's the coffee at the cafeteria?

I think once they've opened registration and people have signed up for that October session, there should be a thread for those here who are going as I'd assume that session will be filled with space die-hards and people who've been before.

TahoeMinx wrote:I called them up today to find out whether Mike & I would be on the same team and whether we could stay in the hab together. The answer was "yes, if you want to" to part A, and "no" to part B. I was a little bit bummed at first, but hey, maybe it will be fun to us to stay in separate dorms and hopefully have a chance to bond with other team members.

I have been on teams with married couples each time I've gone. While they've always been on the same team (I can't imagine not wanting to be on the same team as your sweetie, otherwise why'd you haul them to camp with you?), I don't recall their bunking arrangements. I suppose they want to cut down upon the kind of things you might expect of happily married couples, if you get the drift. Hopefully, someone will chime in who has experienced this to answer your question. But I seem to recall that married couples didn't bunk together. But don't quote me on that. Yeah, I'd be bummed about that, but my wife would never stay in the HAB, even if she lost her mind and agreed to go to space camp with me (not gonna happen, folks).

TahoeMinx wrote:Do most adult campers stay at the hab or the Marriott?

Most new campers do the HAB. Most veteran campers go to a hotel, especially if it's a short (3 or 4 day) session. I'm a former Army officer and spent a lot of time in barracks conditions so the first couple of years I was fine with it. But the third year, I gotta admit I was envying those who stayed at the Marriott. I'll be looking at how much of a deal I can get for a hotel this year... Most teams regress to the bar at the Marriott on some (if not most) nights there anyway if they're not worn out from training. The 4-day one I went to in 2014, our days were well over 12 hours solid and I was simply worn out by the time we were done most of those nights, but we did have fun socializing over at that bar. I haven't been much of a drinker since my military days (got too many, "been there-done that" stories, like the time I tried to outdrink some British paratroopers. Bad idea.)

TahoeMinx wrote:Also, Mike's a coffee fiend - he doesn't want anything fancy, but he's a bear in the morning until he gets a nice cup of good black java. How's the coffee at the cafeteria?

I'm not a coffee drinker at all (and I live in the Pacific NW, near where Starbucks was started), but I do know they have a pot most mornings. No clue how good it is.
I did note that the Biergarten will be open for Oktoberfest while that week is going on: http://rocketcenter.com/calendar/2016-10 Maybe I'd be lucky enough to encounter some of the old German folks, as I haven't had need of my (highly limited) skills at that language for a while now, which I spent the majority of college taking classes in. Again, I'm not much of a drinker anymore, but I might make an exception in that case if the food and liquids are good.

Thanks for the info. And I'm hoping we can stop by Octoberfest, too. Maybe we can practice our German together (my mother is German, but you'd never know it to look at me...). We'll be flying out from Reno - and since you can't seem to get anywhere directly from Reno, who knows - we may be changing planes at an airport near you

I don't drink coffee either, but they always had coffee ready in the mess hall when our team arrived, often before official breakfast time.

I replied in the other thread but couples are not be permitted to bunk together during camp.

I am really jealous Hope you all will enjoy your next Space Camp Experience. I have to wait such a long time (hope to be there in early 2017).
If you need some help to understand a Biergarten, let me know. We have a lot of them in Germany

TahoeMinx wrote:I called them up today to find out whether Mike & I would be on the same team and whether we could stay in the hab together. The answer was "yes, if you want to" to part A, and "no" to part B. I was a little bit bummed at first, but hey, maybe it will be fun to us to stay in separate dorms and hopefully have a chance to bond with other team members. Do most adult campers stay at the hab or the Marriott? Also, Mike's a coffee fiend - he doesn't want anything fancy, but he's a bear in the morning until he gets a nice cup of good black java. How's the coffee at the cafeteria?

Nope, married couples are not housed together in the Habitat. You might be a married couple, but there is a good chance you will be surrounded by children also attending the camp that weekend. Genders are kept separate, no matter the age. The only exception is for family camp, where the parents and children of a family all share one room.

I don't drink coffee, but I've never heard gripes about the cafeteria stuff.

street wrote:Nope, married couples are not housed together in the Habitat. You might be a married couple, but there is a good chance you will be surrounded by children also attending the camp that weekend. Genders are kept separate, no matter the age.

That makes sense when you put it like that, even though I have very rarely ever been around children campers in the time I've been to the adult programs.
I couldn't even imagine the things that teens going through Space Camp have probably tried there over the years...

p51 wrote: I couldn't even imagine the things that teens going through Space Camp have probably tried there over the years...

Keeping my mouth shut on that one... ...and the counselors/crew trainer shenanigans can be quite scandalous as well!

A couple spontaneously formed during my first Camp. There are many, many rooms in Hab1.

Phoenix PK wrote:A couple spontaneously formed during my first Camp. There are many, many rooms in Hab1.

An inside peek at your autobiography?

Phoenix PK wrote:A couple spontaneously formed during my first Camp.

I've seen a couple of people who wanted a couple to spontaneously form at camp but didn't...