4,5,6,7 and 8th grade students of the Near East Primary School and Secondary School went to Izmir Space Camp which is the world's second and Turkey's first and only space camp.

Students, who participated in the Izmir Space Camp "Stars and Planets Adventure" program, have learned about the space, planets, celestial bodies, astronauts and their living conditions.

Students, who had the opportunity to receive hands-on training on demonstration concerning scientific experiments, space shuttle systems and NASA simulators, have tried simulators that provide motion experience in less gravity and non-gravity environments such as the moon and space.

Students, who had the opportunity to try astronaut clothes and take flight duty training by participating in planetarium and observatory activities, navigated with NASA simulators, which give the feeling of living and working in space, and gained space experience by realizing a virtual Mars discovery with the new Mars rover simulator.

Students, who learned space sciences and space technologies with fun at the Space Camp, which comprises a broad range of training on science, mathematics and technology oriented on raising awareness, witnessed how science is used in the presentation of experiments explaining the basics of physics and chemistry and in researching space.

Students used simulators that give the feeling of living and working in space ...
Highlighting that they, as Near East educational institutions, attached importance on raising individuals who love science, Ertan Aligüllü, the Chairperson of Elementary Education, stated that they had established the Science Workshop with the purpose of enabling students to learn through observation, exploring and experiencing. He added that the Space Camp provided students with opportunity to engage in various activities and to follow and practice technological developments on first hand on-site.

Expressing that the students had space experiment in a fun environment where interactive simulations on space were used, Aligüllü said: “The students were encouraged for teamwork through space simulations while getting to know space technologies and accumulating nice memories of camp life. The Space Camp provided students with opportunity not only to carry out activities aimed at improving their problem solving, time management and teamwork skills but also to find answers for some questions that they were curious to learn such as: How do astronauts walk on the moon? What stages does a space shuttle navigating to space go through? What are the difficulties of moving in an environment without gravity? With our understanding of training to reinforce theoretical knowledge with practical applications, our students, who have the ability not only to listen but also to ask and inquire, received training in the field of space science and technologies with NASA designed simulators in a dynamic environment. The students, who returned to their homes as an astronaut who virtually went to the outer space and came back, have developed new horizons in making a career in science, mathematics and technology on the path enlightened by science and rational thinking".