Hiller Aviation Museum

Air and Space Camp

Explore the final frontier in a hands-on adventure in astronomy and space travel!

Air and Space Camp Details

Air & Space campers investigate Newton’s Third Law of motion with a variety of hands-on experiments in rocketry, then construct a model rocket capable of reaching speeds over 60 miles per hour and altitudes of 250′ or more!

Friday features a field trip to John D. Morgan Park in Campbell, where each child launches their rocket safely under the supervision of Hiller Aviation Museum launch staff.

Throughout the week, campers investigate some of the amazing destinations in space that may be explored through rocket propulsion and space travel. Build a model of our solar system, observe the surface of the Sun, use a refractor telescope, identify constellations in the museum’s Starlab planetarium, command a space shuttle training aircraft in the flight simulators, examine real meteorites, and much more in a thrilling exploration of the universe!

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Camp Details

Grade Level

Additional Details

K to 5th

Friday includes a field trip to the rocket launch site

Air & Space Sessions

June 8-12, 2026
June 22-26, 2026 Waitlist
July 6-10, 2026 Waitlist
July 20-24, 2026 Waitlist
August 3-7, 2026 Waitlist

See Camp Calendar for availability.

Field Trip Launch Site Information

On Friday of the camp week, Air & Space and Spaceflight Tech campers will head to the John D. Morgan Park in Campbell to launch their model rockets.

Campers should check in by the regular 9 AM start time at the Hiller Aviation Museum on Friday morning. They will depart the Hiller Aviation Museum via bus promptly at 9:30 AM and return to the Hiller Aviation Museum by 2 PM on Friday afternoon.

Camp activities will continue at the museum until the usual 4 PM pick-up time.

Parents are welcome to attend the rocket launch event! See field trip information letter for more details.

Rocket Launch Field Trip Information Letter

EXAMPLE OF AIR & SPACE CURRICULUM

The following curriculum grid provides an overview based on curricula from past years and may not fully reflect the upcoming summer’s complete curriculum. While the core curriculum within each topic remains largely consistent year to year, specific activities may change due to lesson refinement, material availability, or other factors. The purpose of this grid is to provide a general sense of the content offered in our camps.

LESSON	DESCRIPTION
Astronauts	Explored what it’s like to be an astronaut and how people live and work in space.
Comets	Learned about comets and created their own comet-inspired craft.
Constellations	Observed constellations in the Bay Area night sky in a mobile Starlab planetarium.
Drone Plex	Flew a simulated quadcopter and piloted an actual drone through the Drone Plex.
Field Trip	Went on a field trip to launch their model rockets.
Flight Sims: Intro	Completed introductory flight simulations learning how to fly straight and level, land, and take-off.
Flight Sims: Shuttle	Flew a space shuttle training aircraft in the flight simulators.
Galaxy	Learned how galaxies form and observed different types of galaxy formations.
Gliders – Rocket	Explored glider flight and launched their own rocket-shaped glider.
Meteorites	Examined rocks to identify the differences between tektites and meteorites.
Moon Phases	Observed the different moon phases.
Rockets 1	Began building their model rocket project.
Rockets 2	Progressed on building their model rocket.
Rockets 3	Finished building their model rockets and reviewed launch day safety guidelines.
Solar System	Created a model of the solar system featuring all eight planets.
Sun & Ultraviolet Light	Explored the Sun, light, and the ultraviolet spectrum. Experimented with the effects of UV rays with Cyanotype paper and UV beads.
Telescopes	Observed how convex and concave lenses work together to magnify faraway objects.