I totally agree with you. If you keep things challenging or change things up often you will get serious repeat customers. However with SC changing things regularly there will be a cost associated with that as well. Although with the different levels and programs over the years, I would think that missions could be adjusted to keep things fairly fresh and new for those who attend fairly often without having to totally recreate the wheel and have too high of a cost involved. I do think it would be worth while to invite alumni in for a custom camp/work session in which mission ideas, camp schedules, and other activity ideas could be discussed, trialed, or worked on. I would think this would be just as challenging as a 'legit' LDR in which the group would be doing the mission but working on actual mission documentation, processes, new experiments, new scenarios, etc. I am sure we all have had ideas over the years.majtom7 wrote: I agree. My feeling is that attendance is low due to the changes made to keep prices down, i.e., fewer and shorter missions plus shorter "weeklong" camps. (BTW, that's my interpretation of why sim time is down and camps are shorter.) It also maybe low because the generation raised on space is aging. There's other things to occupy us and our money. However, I feel that if you keep things more challenging, you'll get the serious repeat customer. That is a double edged sword, like any good sword. Higher prices mean fewer people, especially if previous camp attendance is a requirement which shrinks your potential market further. BTW, I see that the ASA Elite is $2,149. How many would pay that for an 8 day, 7 night camp, i.e., what the "weeklong" camps used to be? I would, depending on the activities.
Currently Advanced Space Academy is listed at $1199 and the Advanced Space Academy Elite is listed at $2099. That is quite the cost difference and I would like to know what the $900.00 difference gets you. Since many of us on here collect SC memorabilia, I do wonder if another set of wings will come out for this. (Or if they will still use the Advanced Space Academy ones).
In terms of trying to obtain interest and staying current, I realize that currently SC offers only the week long Cyber Camp and Robotics Camps for the appropriate age groups. I know families who have attended family space camp and/or family aviation challenge in which the parents will not allow their children to fly alone to attend any other camps (regardless of age). However if family camps were designed for either or both of these programs, I know they would sign up with their children and attend them as well. I am not sure of how that would work with the curriculum and short time, however I do know there is potential in this area to keep interest alive and the money coming in.