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Kansas

STEM Kansas: Aviation & Space Exploration With Your Grandchild

Program No. 14914RJ

Enjoy a high-flying adventure with your grandchild as you get hands-on in a shuttle simulator, take flight in a single-engine plane and learn how rockets work at a live presentation!

Wishlist

Start

Enroll with Confidence

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

5 days

4 nights

12 meals

4B 4L 4D

Check-in, Orientation, Hall of Space Museum Tour

Hutchinson Kansas

Model Rocket Build, Flight Simulator, Strataca Salt Mine

Hutchinson Kansas

Aircraft Flight, Battlebots

Hutchinson Kansas

Simulated Space Mission, Shows, Apollo 13

Hutchinson Kansas

Graduation, Program Concludes

Hutchinson Kansas

View Full Itinerary

At a Glance

Blast off with your grandchild on an out-of-this-world exploration of flight at the Cosmosphere International SciEd Center and Space Museum. Your Space Science Educator's will brief you on aerospace history, design and operation before leading you in a pre-flight inspection and then taking you on powered flights aboard a single-engine aircraft. Once you are back on the ground, head to astronaut training in a real space simulator! Join your flight crew of new friends to design your own customized mission patch and build rockets and test robots. Buckle in for these adventures and more on this exhilarating adventure with your grandchild.

Activity Level

Easy Going

Some walking and a flight of stairs required for the simulated shuttle mission.

Best of all, you’ll…

Step inside the new Astralis simulator, which is modeled after the Orion capsule, and work together to accomplish mission goals with your flight crew team.
See how rockets work in the midst of amazing explosions at Dr. Goddard's Lab, and work with your team to build your own rocket for launch!
Explore 650 feet beneath Kansas wheat fields to visit an underground salt museum.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Jim Remar

A recognized expert in the areas of museum administration, strategic planning and space artifact preservation and exhibition, Jim Remar began his career in 1997 as executive director of the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum in Mifflinburg, PA. He joined the Cosmosphere as curator in 2000. After eight years at the Cosmosphere, Remar joined the team at Gregory, Inc as Vice President of Operations. In 2012, Remar returned to the Cosmosphere as President/COO where he was responsible for all operations of the organization, including SpaceWorks, the department of the Cosmosphere responsible for the restoration of artifacts as well as the fabrication of exhibitry and high fidelity replicas. The Cosmosphere’s governing board named Remar CEO of the organization January 2018. A variety of organizations have benefitted from Remar’s consulting expertise including the White Sands Missile Range Museum, National Air and Space Museum, Fort Bliss Museum, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Oklahoma State Museum of History, the Adler Planetarium and the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. He has also served as an editor and consultant for several print publications. Remar received his bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science from Washburn University; his master’s degree in museum studies with a minor in history from the University of Nebraska and his mini-MBA from Wichita State University.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Jim Remar View biography

Nick Atanasio View biography

Nick Atanasio attended Cosmosphere Camps as a child and was left with an enduring fascination with space science and history. He attended Virginia Commonwealth University to study film production and public relations, but STEM never left the back of his mind. That interest in STEM inspired several returns as a counselor and a move across the country in 2021 to work full-time at the museum in the education department. Nick hopes to one day work in the space sector.

JoAnna Strecker View biography

JoAnna Strecker has a background in science and teaching. She attended Southwestern College, earning an undergraduate in biochemistry and a master's in education. After college, she moved to Augusta, Kansas, where she taught high school science for six years. She shifted gears and started as a space science educator at the Cosmosphere in 2018. Eventually, she took on a background role where she organized and ran camps beginning in 2020. In 2021, she was promoted to vice president of education.

Emily Green View biography

Emily Green, from Stafford, Kansas, is a junior at Bethany College, majoring in health and physical education. She will be a camp director for Lunar Base and Solar System day camps, Alien Adventure, Road Scholar, and Starship Earth. She loves working with and encouraging youth students to dream big and reach any goals they set out for themselves. A fun fact about Emily is that she can solve a Rubik's Cube in under two minutes.

Eric Sprecker View biography

Eric Sprecker, from Derby, Kansas, is majoring in chemical engineering at Kansas State University. He will be a counselor for Astro Lab and Lunar Trek. Eric's many years at camps allowed him to explore different interests and he hopes to give this opportunity to campers this summer. He is looking forward to being on the other side of the simulator missions this summer. Eric plays trombone in the K-State Marching Band and is also on the K-State Rocketry team.

Jocelyn Yates View biography

Jocelyn Yates is from Stryker, Ohio, but has lived in Kansas for the majority of her life. She is currently a sophomore at Wichita State University studying for her teaching license in elementary education, and is planning on becoming a kindergarten teacher. She will be a counselor for the Lyon’s summer camp, and it will be her first year working at Cosmosphere. A fun fact about Jocelyn is that she has twice been to Mexico, and loves going on cruises to see the ocean.

Morgan Tobias View biography

Morgan Tobias hails from Clearwater, Kansas, and is an aerospace engineering student at the University of Kansas. Alien Adventure, Lyon's Summer Camp, Road Scholar, Solar System/Lunar Base, and Teacher Camp are among the camps she has inhabited. Before becoming a camp counselor, she logged seven adventurous years as a Cosmosphere camper. Outside of classes and technical theatre work, Morgan loves to fly and travel. Her favorite place to visit is Alaska because of the fireweed, hiking on the tundra, and fresh salmon.

Benjamin Kraus View biography

Benjamin Kraus is a counselor this summer for Mission: Moon Shot and Road Scholar camps. He is from Wichita, Kansas, and is a sophomore at Wichita State University studying aerospace engineering and computer science. Ben has been a previous camper for the past three summers, and has enjoyed his experience so much that he wanted to come back as a counselor! As a counselor, he wants to encourage new campers and spark their interest in space and STEM activities.