International Space Camps a Proven Formula for Informal Education
- Paper number
IAC-08.E1.4.5
- Author
Prof. Lachlan Thompson, RMIT University, Australia, Australia
- Coauthor
Dr. Guido De Marchi, European Space Agency (ESA), The Netherlands
- Coauthor
Ms. Anne Elisabeth Brumfitt, Space Qualified Ltd, Australia
- Year
2008
- Abstract
2007 saw the second International Space Camp to be held at Tidbinbilla Deep Space Tracking Station in Australia. With over six hundred youth attending aged from 12 to 18 years the camp engaged in space themed activities from design and building Mars Rovers, model rocketry and guided astronomy tours with ESO Hubble astronomer Guido de Marchi. The Camp was the second of a successful prototype pioneered by Scouts Australia to provide up close and personal experiences for young people in astronomy and space science. Scouts and Guides across the continent together with international visitors enjoyed the three day camp close to Tidbinbilla Deep Space tracking station. Deep Space included a day at Tidbinbilla with behind the scenes insight to the operations of the DSTS. Other space activities included rocket building and launching, Mars explorer robot making, a Mars space plane project and a sample and return mission to Titan simulation in the Canberra bush. The Titan exercise replicated the final stages of the recovery of a return to earth of soil samples from an alien world. Hubble images inspired space art providing an opportunity for the youth to express their impressions of the inspiring science from Hubble. The youth art was published on the European Southern Observatory website. Feedback from participants voted the events of Deep Space a huge success. This paper presents the planning, organisational structure, space science content and information to facilitate similar camps in other countries around the world. Deep Space provides a model for differentiate learning across all age groups from the youth participating to the parent helpers attending and the broader community through the internet at ESO. A full operational structure and cost model is presented. Both Deep Space Camps in 1999 and 2007 were fully self funding and full fiscal model is presented. They provide proven transportable space education models that are fully cost neutral, flexible and adaptable to all countries, facilitating and inspiring space education for all.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.E1.4.5.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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