WEEK 1 : EARTH FIRST

June 29 - July 2 (4 days)

Every journey into space starts right here on Earth. Did you know lots of the elements that make up our planet, and even our own bodies, actually came to us from space? In some ways, we are all made of stardust, as essential elements like phosphorous, sulfur, and oxygen came out of giant exploding stars and made their way to Earth. Carbon and nitrogen also came to Earth from sun-like stars, and hydrogen, the element in water, came from the Big Bang. What happens when we mix some of these earthly elements? Let’s find out! This week, we’ll mix cool chemical compounds, like magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to shake out some really fizzy fun.

WEEK 2 : let’s blast off

July 6 - July 10

Sixty-five years ago, on April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to travel into space and orbit our planet. We will launch our imaginations this week, as campers design and create their own rockets. Using simple materials like balloons and Alka Seltzer tablets, we’ll propel our kid-made creations into the air. Campers will combine the sodium bicarbonate and water needed to make carbon dioxide and the kind of fizz that pops. Our CFG version of aerospace engineering will prove one important theory: that rocket science is fun.

WEEK 3 : What kind of shower?

July 13 - July 17

On July 17th the sky will have a shower - a Perseid meteor shower! While the best views from earth will occur later in August, this annual meteor shower is scheduled to start this week, when our Earth passes through the Comet Swift-Tuttle debris trail. As chunks of rock from this comet trail enter our atmosphere, friction from the resistance of the air causes them to burn up, and streaks of light we often call shooting stars glimmer across the sky. How does air resistance and the force of gravity burn heavy rock? Campers will dissolve pretend meteors they make from scratch, design and race parachutes, even wish upon a star to demystify the magic of meteor showers.

WEEK 4 : Space race

July 20 - July 24

On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 spaceflight changed the way we think about the world and our place in the universe. Hours after the lunar module Eagle landed, Neil Armstrong backed down its ladder to the moon’s surface, taking “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” It was the very first time a human set foot on a planetary body other than our Earth. Campers will make craters, design a particularly delicious diagram of the phases of the moon, and craft their own mobile space shuttle to blast off to destinations that could only come from their imaginations.

WEEK 5 : The eagle has landed

July 27 - July 31

Taking off is exciting; landing is important, too. And the rovers of the future will need to be strong enough to explore planets and moons other than our own. This week, we’ll take off with recyclables, learn how to absorb the shock of a touch down by testing various materials, and build super strong structures with items so delicate, it will require fun experimentation to configure them so they don’t break.

WEEK 6 : Aeronautics in Our Atmosphere

August 3 - August 7

Just as they did with the lunar module Eagle, NASA engineers continue to design spacecraft that will help astronauts travel to – and through – space. Some of their out of this world designs are helpful here on Earth. Right now, NASA engineers are tinkering with wing designs they think might revolutionize the way airplanes work in the future. Using pasta, toothpicks, marshmallows, paper, and balloons, campers will engineer fun vehicles to try to lift marble payloads to the ceiling, design wing ring gliders to understand how we can more efficiently move airline passengers around our own planet, and come up with their own innovative designs to carry them anywhere their imaginations want to go.

WEEK 7 : Super Solar Star Power

August 10 - August 14

On August 12th, parts of Europe will experience a total solar eclipse. Did you know that our sun is actually a star? While our special star appears in a familiar way to signal the start of each day, at night anyone can look up to observe other suns that we call stars. Could there be life circling another star elsewhere in the universe? This week, we’ll consider the many benefits of our own life-giving sun, with activities like using a camper-created solar oven to cook food suitable for human consumption. We’ll also think about the possibility of otherworldly life on faraway planets that orbit their own suns. We’ll have fun thinking about stars, including star patterns called constellations. Those steady lights in the night sky have inspired humans, who, through the millennia, have looked up and wondered, “What’s out there?”