NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Michelle McCartney with Cosmosphere wants parents to be looking ahead into 2024 to take advantage of one of their newer opportunities.
"I know, it's crazy to think about spring break already," McCartney said. "We're going to have a spring break camp coming up March 11 through 15. It's for grades four to six and they get to work with a former NASA astronaut. That's pretty exciting."
Retired astronaut Steven Swanson will be a part of the camp. According to NASA, Swanson was selected as an astronaut in May of 1998. He would go on to fly three space missions, including a long-duration mission on the International Space Station. Additionally, he served numerous technical roles within the Astronaut Office Space Station Operations and Robotics branches, as well as serving as a capsule communicator, or capcom.
Swanson flew as a mission specialist for STS-117 on Space Shuttle Atlantis in June 2007 and STS-119 on Space Shuttle Discovery in March 2009. Both missions delivered station truss segments, solar arrays, and other equipment to the station. Swanson conducted two spacewalks on each mission, totaling more than 26 hours of extravehicular activity experience.
Swanson’s final mission was a long duration stay on the station as part of the Expedition 39 and 40 crews in 2014. During his six-month tour of duty aboard the orbiting laboratory, Swanson performed various Earth remote sensing and biology, bone and muscle physiology studies and performed a spacewalk. He assumed command of the station in May 2014 and was commander through his landing on Sept. 10, marking an end to his 169 days in orbit. In total, following his three missions, Swanson accumulated more than 195 days in space.
Register today at cosmocamps.org-space is limited to the first 30 campers.