United States Space Camp, Educational space camp in Huntsville, United States

United States Space Camp is an educational program in Huntsville that uses advanced simulators to recreate space conditions, including multi-axis training equipment and lunar gravity simulation. Participants complete programs lasting three or more days, staying in dormitory accommodations with all meals provided.

Space Camp was founded in 1982 by Edward O. Buckbee, executive director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, to promote mathematics and science to children through the U.S. space program. Wernher von Braun had proposed the idea in 1977 while touring the center, where he noticed students taking notes on what they were learning. The camp is run by the Alabama Space Science Exhibit Commission, a state agency whose members are appointed by the governor.

Since 1992, Hungary has sent a three-person group each year to the one-week International Space Camp program, an arrangement organized by Hungarian astronaut Bertalan Farkas; until 2010 the host covered costs for a teacher and two secondary students, and since 2011 only the invited teacher's fee. In Hungary, winners of the annual MANT essay competition earned the student places.

Visitors should expect that programs involve intense physical and mental activities from the simulators and training equipment. It helps to wear comfortable clothing and be ready for a structured daily schedule with set times for classes, training, and meals.

The entrance is marked by two white cylindrical towers bearing a blue "SPACE CAMP" emblem and a red lattice archway hung with a round sign showing a rocket. The camp was proposed in 1977 by Wernher von Braun after he saw students taking notes at the USSRC museum.