For kids, it’s a blast: Kennedy Space Center camp

Looking for a kids camp that’s out of this world?

Check out Camp Kennedy Space Center (KSC) near Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Camp KSC will run a three-day spring break session April 12 to 14 for students in second through ninth grade. If those dates don’t align with your school calendar, nine weeklong sessions will also be available this summer.

Kennedy Space Center is a fascinating place to visit any time of year, no matter what your age. But the camps offer a chance for kids to get a more immersive experience.

During these learning vacations, campers launch self-made rockets, take part in simulated space shuttle missions and get a taste of astronaut training, among other things. Older students can climb a micro-gravity wall that simulates the surreal effects of moving in zero gravity. Students learn about everything from the history of NASA to rocket propulsion and design.

Camp is based at the Astronaut Training Experience (ATX) Center near Titusville, Florida, 6 miles west of the main Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

When camp is over, the kids take part in a graduation ceremony at the Astronaut Encounter Theater at the visitor complex, where they and their families get to meet a veteran NASA astronaut.

The spring program, which costs $165, lasts from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Transportation to and from camp isn’t provided.

For parents wanting to stay in a nearby hotel, a good option is Fairfield Inn & Suites Titusville. If you want to be closer to the beach, Country Inn & Suites in Cape Canaveral may be a better bet. Orlando is about an hour’s drive away.

Weeklong summer day camps cost $350 and begin June 5, with the last session scheduled for July 31 to Aug. 4.

To find out more, visit www. kennedyspacecenter.com/campsand-education, or call the visitor complex at 855-433-4210.

DOMINIC AGOSTINI/KENNEDY SPACE CENTER Campers build rockets for their very own rocket launch during Camp KSC.