Want to be a rocket scientist? Or just know what they do? New Mexico Rocketeer AcademySM has something for the young astronaut in each of us, whether it’s week-long summer camps or education programs held here at the museum or in your class.
Space is a powerful way to enhance and amplify what you do in school. Youngsters of all ages are naturally drawn to space exploration. At the same time, anything we do in space is rooted in STEM-H (science, technology, engineering, math, and health) here on Earth, often in the simplest ways. For example, the butterflies you felt in your stomach as a kid on a swing are related to what happens to astronauts in space, and to International Space Station research that may improve automobile engines, which we can show in a falling tea candle.
Activities can touch on any of the sciences and New Mexico’s rich history in the space program, and encourage kids to pursue education and careers in STEM-H fields, and can help parents understand opportunities for their children.
Rocketeer Academy℠ programs support teachers in meeting goals and objectives established in the New Mexico Public Education Department Science Standards (NM-PED), the National Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This is a work in progress.
Can’t come here? Rocketeer Academy℠ classes and camps launch to anywhere in the state and surrounding areas. No matter what your needs we can bring the excitement of space directly to your school or community. Avoid high transportation costs and let us come to you.
Water climbs the walls because there’s no “downhill.” Flames don’t rise because there’s no “up.” Everything floats — but ping-pong balls sink. This popular activity involves students in reenacting the discovery of gravity and learning about research in space.
Grades 4-up; $100/class.
Classes are tailored for groups of 30 students. Larger classes are split into groups of 30 and charged as multiple classes.
Learn the basics of rocketry with our Flying Tea Kettles presentation on the history of rocketry, with videos of how they work (and sometimes don’t) and a demonstration of Hero’s Very Cold Steam Engine (uses liquid nitrogen). Then add rocket building! Pick your class:
Air-O-Bee (Grades K-2; 1 hour). Color a paper rocket, assemble and launch by air compressor. Named in honor of the famous Aerobee rockets (school prints patterns and students build before event). Up to 30 students, no extra charge; $65 per class.
Level 1 (Grades 3-5; 2 hours). Build, launch, and keep an entry-level rocket. Up to 30 students; additional $20 per rocket, per student plus $115/class.
Level 2 (Grades 6-up; 2 hours). Build a more complex bird with a more powerful rocket for a higher flight. Up to 30 students; additional $28 per rocket, per student plus $115/class.
An unforgettable overnight adventure! Experience an adventure inside the
New Mexico Museum of Space History. Your evening will kick off with a fantastic 4K film experience followed by an engaging presentation on the history of rockets all the way to the historic Apollo 11 moon landing, fifty years ago. Build water rockets and launch them the next morning, can you save your “Eggstronuat”?
Top it off with a late-night museum tour and the rare opportunity to sleep next to amazing artifacts and be closer to history and space than ever before. Make your reservation today to jump on-board and be a part of space history!
$50 per child, $20 per chaperone, 10-person minimum.
Use a spinning water tank to simulate our rotating Earth and video cameras to see how the atmosphere and the ocean circulate See how temperature and
density differences make fluids flow around each other.
Grades 4-up; $75/class.
How to Build a Bug shows how we designed the Apollo Lunar Module— starting in 1939! Work in teams to build your own lander that takes marshmallow PeepsTM safely to the lunar surface. Based on a NASA engineering education activity.
Grades 4-up; $100/class.
You’re the doctor on Mars and your appendix is going bad. Start with clay and a knife, experiment with a surgical simulator (like the ones real doctors train with), then design a robot that can remove that appendix — or handle other problems. Robotic surgery is the way of the future and you can be part of it!
Grades 4-12; $80/class.
Bring the Museum summer camp experience to your community! Our remote camp programs provide the educators and materials; just add your kids and a venue and you’re ready to go. We have a wide range of full-day, half-day, and week-long camps.
These busy little guys go everywhere — so long as you tell them where to turn or spin, and how fast to go. Ozobots have sensors that follow color codes you draw on a game mat and select the best hike for collecting rocks on Mars or to automate a rocket factory.
Grades K-12; $75/class.
Bring the Museum summer camp experience to your community! Our remote camp programs provide the educators and materials; just add your kids and a venue and you’re ready to go. We have a wide range of full-day, half-day, and week-long camps.
Build a working model of a hand and program it to pick up a pencil. And what can you get (or lose) if you trade that little finger for a second thumb? Based on a NASA class and inspired by the Luke Hand project to build prosthetic limbs.
Grades 4-9; $80/class.
Welcome to the Antaeus Orbiting Quarantine Facility. Your mission is to dissect alien lifeforms brought from Europa, the ice-covered moon of Jupiter. Student teams work in a quarantine glovebox while learning how Tortilla volante (Flying Tortilla) is like us — and different. They have fun learning the basics of biology and scientific inquiry, then reporting what they find. Includes a presentation on the search for extraterrestrial life.
$95 to $145/class, depending on grade level.
Reward your students with an adventure inside the halls of the New Mexico Museum of Space History. Our staff will lead you and your group through exciting presentations and projects. Get the opportunity to sleep next to amazing artifacts and be closer to history and space than ever before. Make your reservation today to jump on-board and be part of the voyage. Movie and museum, plus two of the following activities: The Awful Truth About Zero-G; Blast Off With Flying Tea Kettles (includes rocket class)*; Houston, the Peeps Have Landed; Alien Autopsy*; Sizing Up Your Solar System; Put a Spin on Weather. (*extra charge depending on activity.)
Requires 1 adult chaperone per 10 kids under 18 (gender appropriate; no charge for first chaperone/10 kids). Minimum age 7. Groups provide their own meals and sleeping gear. A museum staffer stays overnight with you. Other restrictions may apply. Requires contract and deposit
Map out the solar system on your school and neighborhood and find out why we call it space (there’s a lot of it). Discover why sunspots aren’t black. Make a solar ribbon bigger than Earth. Includes A Map of the Universe, taking you 13.8 billion light-years across space, from here to the Big Bang.
Grades K-12; $100/class
This 45-minute show teaches the history of aviation and how airplanes fly. An engaging encounter with various flying machines including birds, hot air balloons and rockets. Each flying toy tells a story, instructor and student participation.
For all ages; $125/show
Museum tours, big-screen movies, planetarium programs, live star talks and engaging classes are all available at affordable prices for school groups. Museum admission and movie or planetarium shows start at $5/student and $6/adult. Tour guides are available for an additional flat fee of $20/30 students.
Add a class and get a free tour guide!
This is a fun drop-in program where students will build a real flying blimp using a balloon and paper cutouts for fins and balance. Learn the difference between airships and blimps and basic gas laws in the process.
For all ages; $50/hour.
Rockets don’t just push — they can squeeze. Your challenge is to design a bridge that handles the squeeze from the Space Launch System’s two solid rocket boosters and supports the core stage. Then we’ll test until it falls apart and you build it better using the NASA Engineering Design Process.
Grades 4-12; $100/class.
Museum tours, big-screen movies, planetarium programs, live star talks and engaging classes are all available at affordable prices for school groups. Museum admission and movie or planetarium shows start at $5/student and $6/adult. Tour guides are available for an additional flat fee of $20/30 students.
Add a class and get a free tour guide!
Water climbs the walls because there’s no “downhill.” Flames don’t rise because there’s no “up.” Everything floats — but ping-pong balls sink. This popular activity involves students in reenacting the discovery of gravity and learning about research in space.
Grades 4-up; $100/class.
Learn the basics of rocketry, then build and launch your own rockets (type depends on grade level.) Each level includes our Flying Tea Kettles presentation on the history of rocketry, with videos of how they work (and sometimes don’t) and a demonstration of Hero’s Very Cold Steam Engine (uses liquid nitrogen).
$60 to $115/class, depending on grade level.
Use a spinning water tank to simulate our rotating Earth and video cameras to see how the atmosphere and the ocean circulate See how temperature and
density differences make fluids flow around each other.
Grades 4-up; $75/class.
How to Build a Bug shows how we designed the Apollo Lunar Module— starting in 1939! Work in teams to build your own lander that takes marshmallow PeepsTM safely to the lunar surface. Based on a NASA engineering education activity.
Grades 4-up; $100/class.
You’re the doctor on Mars and your appendix is going bad. Start with clay and a knife, experiment with a surgical simulator (like the ones real doctors train with), then design a robot that can remove that appendix — or handle other problems. Robotic surgery is the way of the future and you can be part of it!
Grades 4-12; $80/class.
These busy little guys go everywhere — so long as you tell them where to turn or spin, and how fast to go. Ozobots have sensors that follow color codes you draw on a game mat and select the best hike for collecting rocks on Mars or to automate a rocket factory.
Grades K-12; $75/class.
Build a working model of a hand and program it to pick up a pencil. And what can you get (or lose) if you trade that little finger for a second thumb? Based on a NASA class and inspired by the Luke Hand project to build prosthetic limbs.
Grades 4-9; $80/class.
Welcome to the Antaeus Orbiting Quarantine Facility. Your mission is to dissect alien lifeforms brought from Europa, the ice-covered moon of Jupiter. Student teams work in a quarantine glovebox while learning how Tortilla volante (Flying Tortilla) is like us — and different. They have fun learning the basics of biology and scientific inquiry, then reporting what they find. Includes a presentation on the search for extraterrestrial life.
$95 to $145/class, depending on grade level.
Map out the solar system on your school and neighborhood and find out why we call it space (there’s a lot of it). Discover why sunspots aren’t black. Make a solar ribbon bigger than Earth. Includes A Map of the Universe, taking you 13.8 billion light-years across space, from here to the Big Bang.
Grades K-12; $100/class
This 45-minute show teaches the history of aviation and how airplanes fly. An engaging encounter with various flying machines including birds, hot air balloons and rockets. Each flying toy tells a story, instructor and student participation.
For all ages; $125/show
This is a fun drop-in program where students will build a real flying blimp using a balloon and paper cutouts for fins and balance. Learn the difference between airships and blimps and basic gas laws in the process.
For all ages; $50/hour.
Rockets don’t just push — they can squeeze. Your challenge is to design a bridge that handles the squeeze from the Space Launch System’s two solid rocket boosters and supports the core stage. Then we’ll test until it falls apart and you build it better using the NASA Engineering Design Process.
Grades 4-12; $100/class.
Yes, it has a dark side — at least, invisible. The same force runs electric motors and generators, powered the Red October submarine, and rules pulsars and … vending machines. And it may take you to the planets. You start with a battery, a switch, a lamp, and some wire.
Grades 4-9; $75/class.
Introduce preschool kids and kindergarten to basic astronomy concepts with My Sky Tonight, lessons produced by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Seven different programs are available.
Ages 3-7; $75/class
Take a trip and never leave your school! Explore the heavens with our portable digital planetarium and see the night sky as we see it today or at any time in the past or future. Our experienced educators will bring the wonders of the universe right to your school. Each program is approximately 40 minutes long, classes are held in one hour blocks.
Grades K-12 $100 hour, 3 hour min.
Note: The dome is 20 feet wide (takes half a basketball court and requires a high ceiling) and generally seats one class at a time (or two K-1 classes). The domes are not soundproof, so please do not schedule other activities in the same room.
Grades K-12. Approximately 3 hours. This includes two instructors to conduct the program.
Voice: (575) 437-2840
Toll-Free: 1-877-333-6589
Fax: (575) 434-2245
Mail:
P.O. Box 5430
Alamogordo, NM 88311-5430
Delivery/Visiting:
3198 State Route 2001
Alamogordo, NM 88310
