“Houston, we have a problem. Our shuttle is on a fiery collision course with the Earth, and there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it.”
This astronauting business is way harder than it looks. It’s day one of Space Camp, and things are not going well. We—a crew of dreamers and misfits in blue NASA jumpsuits—manage to survive the simulation by crash-landing into a Floridian swamp, but the computer pulls no punches.
We’ve killed two spacewalkers, written off a shuttle and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. We obviously have a lot to learn over the next three days.
Space Camp, as the name suggests, is a weekend-long retreat where guests are immersed in everything interstellar. Based at the US Space and Rocket Center next to NASA’s headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama (aka Rocket City), it’s historically been targeted at teenagers, but in recent years it has started opening its airlock to adults too.
These popular space sabbaticals see wannabe rocketeers check in for two nights to tackle a series of challenges, while enjoying a surprisingly believable taste of life as an astronaut.
Right from lift-off, it’s clear this experience is going to be a lot more Buzz Aldrin than Buzz Lightyear. After signing a stern alcohol waiver (that kind of buzz is banned for the duration of my stay due to the delicate equipment we’ll be using), our crew of six Americans, three Brits and a Guatemalan is escorted to Mission Control—a hyper-realistic control room with banks of computers beneath large walls of TV screens displaying our first shuttle simulation.
Feeling like extras from Apollo 13, we don our clunky headsets and start following instructions, flicking switches, firing ignitions and solving problems with gusto.
Soon, our computerised shuttle lifts into the sky and manages to briefly achieve a stable orbit. (Cue Hollywood-style whoops and high-fives .) But our joy is short-lived. Within seconds, our spirits—and our shuttle—come crashing back to Earth, spilling two astronauts and most of our equipment on the way down.
A wail of despair from the mission commander reverberates through our headsets as we plummet into an alligator-infested patch of the Everglades.
In Space Camp everyone can hear you scream.
Thankfully, our spacewalking is a lot better than our shuttle flying. In pairs, we’re taken into a cavernous hangar bay, where we’re helped into heavy spacesuits, boots, helmets and portable life support systems.
Next, we’re roped and strapped into flying harnesses (the kind you’d find in a theatre), before being “floated” outside a replica of the International Space Station. From here, we swoop backwards and forwards, following instructions in our earpieces as we locate tools, fix leaks, and replace fuel canisters.
Space Camp’s primary mission is to replicate the astronaut experience as closely as possible and this extends to the accommodation too. Guests are housed in purpose-built dormitories called Habitats, which look like giant toilet rolls, piled beneath the life-sized Saturn V rocket in the main courtyard.
Inside, each contains bedroom cubicles modelled on shuttle living spaces, which are surprisingly comfy. (For space cadets who are less down to Earth, there’s also the more luxurious option of a Marriott hotel on campus.)
Life on Mars
The US Space and Rocket Center (USSRC) is the largest space museum in the world. Highlights include a life-sized Saturn V rocket, a full-stack Space Shuttle and a new exhibition detailing NASA’s plans to travel to Mars.
Our second morning dawns in dramatic fashion, with a ride on the merciless Multi-Axis Trainer. Essentially a large metal sphere, we’re strapped inside, one at a time, before being hurled manically around its uneven, unpredictable axis to replicate the feeling of a “tumble-spin” on re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere.
Imagine being trapped inside a ping pong ball, inside a violent washing machine cycle, and you’re getting close. (Then imagine not abiding by the alcohol waiver the night before, and you’ll appreciate why a couple of the crew emerge looking a bit like little green men .) Next up is a turn on the Force Accelerator—a fairground-like contraption which applies so much G-force it feels like our skin is peeling off.
That’s followed by the far more genteel One-Sixth Chair, designed to replicate walking on the moon which has a sixth of the Earth’s gravity. Strapped into the spring-loaded seat, we each careen across the hangar, taking giant leaps for mankind before softly gliding back to a replica of the moon’s surface. (The most efficient means of moonwalking, we discover, is a cartoonish bunny-hop.)
The weekend flies by, progressing through a series of hands-on experiments and role-playing missions. We build and fire our own mini-rockets to test the principles of thrust, then attempt first aid in low gravity and even construct heat shields to protect hypothetical astronauts (represented by eggs) from burning up on re-entry (represented by blowtorches). Needless to say, a number of “eggstronauts” crack under the pressure. Houston? We have an omelette.
Our graduation ceremony on the Sunday afternoon comes all too soon. In turn, we’re each called up onto a lecture theatre stage to collect our certificates, joining a stellar list of more than 900,000 graduates, including youngsters who went on to become real astronauts. (Not to mention Hollywood actors like Billy Bob Thornton and Chris Pratt, who attended while preparing for space-related roles, and other stars who just attended for the sheer joy of it, from Charlize Theron and the Olsen twins to the late, great Ozzy Osbourne.)
Saying our goodbyes, it feels like we’ve been living in this parallel universe for an entire week, pushing our minds and bodies to their outer limits while experiencing a tiny taste of what it takes to be an astronaut. Space Camp might have started as a means of entertaining high school students in the summer holidays, but the adult version is challenging, rewarding and fun. While the world waits for the likes of Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos to come good on their promises of interstellar vacations, this is as close as you’re going to get to a holiday that is truly out of this world.
Need to know: Rocket City
Getting there: American Airlines operates daily flights from London Heathrow to Huntsville via Charlotte or Dallas/Fort Worth.
Getting around: To explore Huntsville further after Space Camp, the city’s bus system, the Orbit, operates Monday to Friday from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and on Saturday from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. At other times, you might prefer to use ride-share services or rent a car.
Best time to go: The three-day Adult Space Academy (spacecamp.com) takes place once a month, costing from £661pp, including bunk accommodation and food.
Where to stay: If you don’t want to stay in a dorm, the adjacent Huntsville Marriott at the Space and Rocket Center (marriott.com) has rooms from £125 a night.
Further information: huntsville.org or alabama.travel.
