Kailie Drescher of Alden, daughter of Craig and Beth Drescher, graduated from level 1 of the future astronaut training program (FATP) this summer at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. Kailie is an eighth-grader at Alden-Conger this fall. Grandparents are Ardis Ryals and David and Marcy Drescher, all of Alden.

The week-long introductory astronaut camp is for students entering grades seven through 10 and emphasizes teamwork, leadership and problem solving. Developed by Cosmosphere staff, FATP is a nationally recognized camp that motivates campers to seek careers in space-related industries.

Throughout the week, campers train in space simulators — the centrifuge, multi-axis trainer, space shuttle simulator (“Falcon III”) and stress simulator — and launch homemade rockets, direct a robotic mission and learn night sky observation techniques. They also tour the Cosmosphere’s world-renowned Hall of Space Museum, visit the Justice Planetarium, and watch a live presentation of Dr. Goddard’s Lab.

The centrifuge is a rotating device that tests people’s reactions to forces encountered during launch and reentry; the multi-axis trainer spins riders 360 degrees in multiple axes while simulating tumble-type maneuvers that could be encountered in spaceflight; the space shuttle simulator is the most realistic shuttle simulator outside of NASA, simulating launch, orbit, satellite deployment, reentry and landing; and the stress simulator incorporates external stimuli into a mission to replicate stressful situations encountered in spaceflight.

The Cosmosphere is located at 1100 N. Plum, Hutchinson, Kan. For more information about FATP, visit the Cosmosphere Web site at www.cosmo.org.

The Cosmosphere’s Future Astronaut Training Program has four levels, each lasting six days. Levels 1 and 2 are held at the Cosmosphere; level 3 is held at the Cosmosphere for two days and then at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for two days; and level 4 is held at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for all six days. Campers must complete the lower level before progressing to the next. For more information about FATP, contact Laurie Givan at 800-397-0330, ext. 323.

The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing patrons’ knowledge of space exploration.

Educating people from around the globe, the Cosmosphere boasts the Hall of Space museum, one of the most significant collections of U.S. and Russian space artifacts in the world; the Justice Planetarium, a dome-shaped theater dedicated to astronomy; Dr. Goddard’s Lab, a live demonstration of early rocket technology; the Carey IMAX Dome Theater, the 12th IMAX theater built in the world; and summer astronaut training camps.