AFA StellarCamps

What is StellarCamp?

StellarCamp Registration is Open!

StellarCamp is a fun space system design camp for rising 8th through rising 12th graders. Participants get to learn about aspects of space system design with no prior experience required.

After a successful pilot 2021 Summer season, StellarXplorers will be supporting 2022 StellarCamps this coming summer nationwide in areas where there are already StellarXplorers teams and new areas, too!

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StellarCamp Students

StellarCamps will be conducted by instructors from your local school or organization.  As host organizations register with us to conduct a StellarCamp this summer, we’ll list the dates and locations of these camps.  Students will register via their local organization for StellarCamp, not through our StellarXplorers portal.  A list of available camp locations and dates will be posted as they scheduled. 

StellarCamp Overview

WHO

StellarCamps are designed for high school and middle school students who are just getting into aerospace or who have aerospace knowledge and want to learn more. Camps are hosted by approved organizations and institutions that register with the StellarXplorers Program Office. These organizations include but are not limited to:

  • Public/Private Middle Schools & High Schools
  • Universities and colleges
  • Home Schools
  • JROTC programs
  • Civil Air Patrol Squadrons
  • Scouting Units
  • Boys & Girls Clubs
  • ​AFA Chapters
WHAT

StellarCamp is over the course of 5 days, and there is a practice competition on the 5th day. Participating in a StellarCamp is not required to participate as a StellarXplorers competitor, but it serves as a great introduction to STK and knowledge that would be useful to know if participants decide to compete when the school year begins. Additionally, those who participate in StellarCamps are not required to compete in StellarXplorers the following competition season.

WHERE

StellarCamps are held at a variety of locations. Locations vary year-to-year, depending on the organizations that register to host a camp.

WHEN

StellarCamps are held during different weeks between June and August each summer.  The camps are designed to be conducted over five days – Monday through Friday, consisting of approximately 4-6 hours of instruction each day.

HOW

Approved organizations register via our StellarXplorers portal here for their week/s of StellarCamp consisting of instruction modules and information to conduct the competition on the fifth day, accompanying instructor guide, student workbooks, and demonstration software that the students will use to follow along with the instructions. It is the responsibility of the host organization to facilitate the logistics of the camp (camp facility, instructor, hardware, etc.).

StellarCamp Curriculum

StellarCamp covers information on orbits, history of space exploration, basic principles using Systems Toolkit (STK), satellites, rockets, and much more. Throughout the week, there are many hands-on activities and practice exercises to review concepts covered in the curriculum, in addition to fun ice-breakers and teambuilding activities.

On the fifth day of StellarCamp, students will have the opportunity to participate in a mini-competition scenario to challenge the skills obtained over the course of the week.

If you are interested in hosting a StellarCamp, please visit our StellarXplorers portal here for additional information regarding organization registration for Summer 2022.

STELLARCAMP REGISTRATION GUIDE:

STEP 1 – CREATE A PORTAL ACCOUNT

  1. Create an account (we recommend using your email address as your username)
  2. Check your email for the confirmation email from StellarCamps and click the confirmation link to complete your account set up
  3. Click continue to proceed to your StellarXplorers Portal Dashboard

STEP 2 – REGISTER FOR ONE OR MORE CAMPS

  1. You will see the StellarCamp 2022 Registration Lobby – click ENTER HERE to access it
  2. Select one of the 11 Camp Weeks available for 2022 and fill in the Registration Form
  3. If you want to register for more weeks, go ahead and fill in those registration forms as well

STEP 3 – PAY FOR THE CAMP(S)
Implementing organizations pay $200 week for each camp held as a group.

  1. After registering, the Payment Options for that week will become available. To pay by check or other means, please contact us via email at info@stellarxplorers.org to arrange payment.
  2. Click CONTINUE to review your responses or click the Lobby link at the top of the page to return to the Registration Lobby landing page. The Camp Week(s) you selected will now be displaying its respective Payment button which you can use to pay online via PayPal whenever you are ready – up to 3 weeks prior to the start of that Camp Week. The payment button will disappear after the due date.
  3. View your Statement of Account – links available at the bottom of the page or top right. This is a simple summary of your selected Camps and their due dates for payment, and amount due. You may right-click and Print to save a PDF copy to your computer or print a hard copy.

STEP 4 – ACCESS YOUR CAMP ZONES

  1. Click the Dashboard link in the left menu to see the StellarXplorer Zones to which you now have access
  2. If you have not paid, you will have access to the Camp Demo & Facilitators’ Guide
  3. If you have paid, you will have access to: > the tutorial on How to Enroll Your Campers, > the main StellarCamp 2022 zone, and > the Payment for Camp Week X receipt links where you can view/download your Receipt(s) for each Camp Week that you registered

STEP 5 – ENROLL YOUR CAMPERS

  1. After making a payment for a Camp Week, access the tutorial on How to Enroll Your Campers and follow the instructions to submit your Roster of Campers.
  2. You will be notified when your Campers have been enrolled
  3. Send an email to your Campers with their login credentials

Congratulations! You are now ready for Camp!

Host StellarCamp FAQ

1) StellarCamps are conducted and hosted by your local organization locally in your area with content provided by StellarXplorers via our portal.  StellarXplorers staff is here to answer your questions between now and summer, and will provide technical support during the summer.

2) Implementing organizations pay $200 week for each camp held as a group.  Implementing organizations may charge a fee, if any, to their students.

3) Visit our StellarXplorers portal and create a new account here.

4) After creating a StellarXplorers portal account, you may access your account here.

5) In the StellarXplorers portal, you may select which weeks this summer you’d like to conduct your StellarCamp.

6) Host StellarCamp fees may be paid immediately after registering your selected summer week, or you may wait until 3 weeks before your StellarCamp’s start date.

7) StellarCamp implementing organizations handle student registration with their own systems.  When it’s time for StellarCamp, an organization’s instructors may create their student accounts in our StellarXplorers portal for their summer camp students (more info provided in portal).

8) Upon StellarCamp host initial registration, you’ll have immediate access to StellarCamp demo materials, instructor training, preparation checklists, and sample videos.

9) After host registration fees are paid, you will have full access to the StellarCamp curriculum.  If there are circumstances that prevent your organization to conduct your week of StellarCamp, a refund may be provided.

10) Please check out our StellarXplorers portal, register for a StellarCamp week, and explore our demo materials to answer your initial inquiries.  If you have any questions and/or would like to schedule a StellarCamp discussion with us, please write us at info@stellarxplorers.org.  We can’t wait to support your StellarCamp this 2022 Summer!