About Aussie Space Tours.

Background: Ken Cohen. Official "Space Camp® Ambassador".

After a successful Biology/Maths/Science teaching career spanning 28 years, Mr Ken Cohen (after taking early retirement) has begun offering his services/experience and expertise to help practising science teachers in Victorian schools to organise their own Space Camp tours. He has successfully organised and run five overseas science student exchanges to Dauphin County in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and three extremely successful NASA Space Camp tours while he was teaching at Montmorency Secondary College.

From 2004, he has organised and ran so many tours for Australian Schools that the U.S Space and Rocket Center® in Huntsville, Alabama appointed him as their official "Space Camp® Ambassador" for Australia. The benefits of which are passed onto the schools he takes. He also runs fully escorted adult tours in May, August & December, with most planned around the time of a Delta or Atlas rocket launch. These adult trips are a fantastic experience, often with lunch with an astronaut and a simulasted "shuttle launch experience". See the adult tour section for the dates of the current tours. Note: The Space shuttle will not be launched by NASA after 2011, so a 3 day trip to Mission Control at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, with a level 9 behind the scenes tour, has been added to the adult space tours.

With his assistance, Science Coordinators from all schools can offer middle to senior school science students the opportunity to attend the Advanced Space Academy® in Huntsville, Alabama and visit Kennedy Space Centre. Trips now have an added bonus of 2-3 days at Disneyworld, Orlando and at EPCOT and Animal Kingdom there are some behind the scenes tours looking at science careers in theme parks. A great way to spark a students interest in a science career.

The benefits of the tour to the students are enormous and the participants will grow in confidence in leaps and bounds. The previous Montmorency student participants have assisted their schools profile in the community by making "Space Camp" presentations to feeder primary schools, others talking at year level assemblies and a few even addressed local Rotary groups when fundraising. The overseas travel, together with meeting scientists and educators who love their jobs is an enormous boost to the student’s confidence. All space camp participants have matured beyond their years and become fully focussed on their careers, and set themselves goals with all going on to university to study science and some attending space related courses, with the intention to be involved with NASA’s future ventures to the Moon and Mars.

The trip will provide a powerful direct learning experience, which will enable the participants to;

1. Explore the wonders of science, maths and technology through the space program.
2. Participate in scientific excursions not available here in Australia.
3. Understand the organisation and rigours of international travel.
4. Experience hands on and in-depth training by dedicated professionals.
5. Visit the unique "Area 51" as well as high-tech tours and leadership training.
6. Meet and work with up to 500 highly motivated American students.
7. Foster feelings of global participation and citizenship.

Ken has taken over 520 Australian science students to the U.S.A. over the past 17 years and has trained over 55 science teachers from various schools about the organisation rigors of running a successful space camp tour program.

He does all the organisation both before and during the trips and based on a minimum of 13 students, 2 teachers can usually be accommodated free! Places at the space camp in Alabama are often difficult to secure and usually ONLY offered to USA students from American schools. (However, due to his regular visits and contact with booking personnel, 12-20 places can be held in various time slots for a short period).
Feel free to contact him and discuss your schools possibilities!
 

Note: The prices given are just an estimate based on past tours. I have no preferred booking agent and you can use your own schools travel agent to determine which airline you use, flight stopover times and suitable hotels. I can suggest particular hotels and bus companies to  make the students overseas travel less stressful for the staff and tour leaders alike. Prices will be finalised after consultation with your agent.

The week long dates at space camp are fixed on a sessional basis, starting with registration on Sunday and graduation on Friday. The overall student tours are organised around those dates!