Three-day hands-on STEM camp for ages 11-14 in which students design and launch a rocket, build a lunar habitat, run a robotic rover mission and simulate a space station.
Space Center Houston is running the Lunar Expedition from Monday, December 21 to Wednesday, December 23, 2026. It's a three-day day camp for kids ages 11 to 14, part of Space Center U, the immersive STEM program run by the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center. The center is a Smithsonian Affiliate operated by The Manned Space Flight Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
The camp is built around project-based teamwork and behind-the-scenes access to Johnson Space Center and Rocket Park, with guest speakers from NASA. Over the three days, students design, build, and launch their own rocket, create a life-supporting lunar habitat, and run a robotic rover mission using math and coding. They also step into a virtual-reality simulation of the International Space Station and construct a thermal heat shield to withstand re-entry temperatures. Lunch is provided daily by Wolfgang Puck Catering, and the program wraps up with a graduation ceremony and certificates in the Mission Briefing auditorium.
Space Center U works with youth ages 11 to 18 year-round. On its longer five-day programs, the camp includes a live presentation with an astronaut. There's also the Gene Kranz Scholarship open to ages 11 to 18, which honors the 'Kranz Dictum' of being 'Tough and Competent.'
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The Lunar Expedition runs from 8 AM to 4 PM each day at Space Center Houston, 1601 E NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX. It costs $439.95 per student and $379.95 per chaperone.
