The HabForum

I was lucky enough to get to go to Space Camp with my school group in May of 1996 in Huntsville, AL. From what I recall, we stayed 3 days and 2 nights in one of the habitats. We got to tour the Marshall Space Flight Center, enjoyed an IMAX movie, as well as participated in the various activities to train like an astronaut. I still have my Throttle Up! book along with some of the various pamphlets and papers from my time being there. I still have the blue flight suit w/name badge hanging proudly in my closet that I purchased from the store.

My question is this: Was my visit in 1996, just considered a 'school group' or was it called something else back then? I see SC now has Pathfinder. Was Pathfinder around back then or was this type of group visit that participated in everything considered something else? Would this even consider me a SC Alumni or does that only count for attending the Space Camp, Space Academy, Aviation Challenge, etc?

I recently had a discussion with my oldest daughter and she wants us to attend Family Space Camp together. It got me to thinking about my experience and what my participation would have been called back then vs now. I realize various camps have come and gone (FL and CA) throughout the years as well as various programs. However with this in mind, I figured I'd share my 'story' and perhaps spark a discussion of then vs now.

Figured i'd share my 'findings' on my question / discussion of then vs now. So I had a discussion with a current Space Camp associate in which I was told that my group attendance to Space Camp in 1996 would have been either considered Pathfinder or Astrotek. So now I'm trying to figure out what the difference between these 2 would have been? (Also time frames of both programs since they were not sure of which one it would have been due to the time frame and those Space Camp associates who have been there for years were not within ear shot to inquire with). Also according to our discussion, anyone that has attended camp regardless of a weeklong, family camp, or groups camp are considered an Alumni. Regardless of what my involvement was back then was considered, I'm still proud to say that I've attended Space Camp to this day. (I just would like to be able to have a clear understand what program I was a part of.)

Astrotrek never did a mission in the shuttle simulators, while Pathfinder very well might have.

Astrotrek...alumni? Eh, not so much...I mean...eh. Pathfinder, sure though!

Wasn't Astrotrek mostly a day programme and Pathfinder an overnight one? I remember reading about each somewhere but I just read through the program guides from 1997-1999 and neither programme is mentioned.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have museum sleepovers and aren't Space Camp alumni. There are week-long day programmes too. So what exactly defines and alumni? Good question. I would think it would define anyone who individually registered for a programme (possibly within a group), had to submit forms to camp, and would be in their trainee database. Day camp kids may qualify but not necessarily school or Scout field trip groups. Much like any other camp programme, I would guess.

I agree, I'd think that our class /student names would be in a database some place. I also agree on what qualifies someone as 'alumni' with the rest of you. I only mentioned on here what I was told, which I suppose is a whole other debate in itself. Good point SpaceCanada, I looked through my program catalogs and didn't see Astrotrek or Pathfinder mentioned either, unless groups were treated differently and not shown in such material back then? I also would think a day or 'field trip' would not consider those attendees as alumni. Bottom line is I'm proud of my experience and hope to return back to do more programs in the future. I'd just like to know what program we were involved in back then since times change and programs have been discontinued, etc.

I spoke with someone with the Space Camp Alumni in which I was basically told if you earned a set of wings you were considered an alumni. None the less, I will be heading to Family Space Camp with my daughter in June. It will be nice to return back to Huntsville after 21 years!

blachwk wrote:I agree, I'd think that our class /student names would be in a database some place.

I truly doubt that.
I have a feeling there's no master list of anyone who's gone through that goes back more than a few years, if even then.
I'm constantly amazed at how much info you'd think SC would have, but they don't. So many jobs get passed down to the new person, they move on and it all goes into limbo somewhere.
Seen that happen way too many times, especially the Ambassador and Alumni programs.

I truly doubt that.
I have a feeling there's no master list of anyone who's gone through that goes back more than a few years, if even then.
I'm constantly amazed at how much info you'd think SC would have, but they don't. So many jobs get passed down to the new person, they move on and it all goes into limbo somewhere.
Seen that happen way too many times, especially the Ambassador and Alumni programs.

That's such a shame. SC could do so much with such a database and information.