The Airdrie Space Science Club is ready for lift off in 2023, inviting new youth members ages 10 to 18 to come out and behold the wonders of the heavens.
“Our club is a fantastic opportunity to try something other than sport activity,” said Brian Jackson, a senior volunteer with the organization.
According to Jackson, the club is relaunching this year, after the COVID-19 pandemic more or less halted the club’s activities for the last nearly three years.
“Before COVID, we had a lot of members that built and launched model rockets,” he said. “They were doing things related to astronomy. They were interested in sky science. And then COVID kind of shut us down.”
Jackson is hoping the club can regain its pre-COVID momentum with an infusion of new enthusiastic club members this year.
As club members, youth have the opportunity to build and launch their own model rockets, learn about the night sky and the cosmos, take part in regular star-viewing parties, speak to astronauts and others working in the space industry, and conduct interesting experiments like launching weather balloons.
“I think they start to realize that space is not too far away,” Jackson said. “Once you have that knowledge, you never go back. You always look up at the sky. It totally changes how they walk outside at night.”
According to Jackson, the Airdrie Space Science Club also helps its members develop skills and knowledge that will perhaps one day be put to work in the space industry.
“I firmly believe the first person to step foot on Mars is sitting in a middle school classroom right now,” he said. “This is their opportunity to develop that interest and passion. Science fiction isn’t science fiction anymore. This is a generation of kids that see some of those things that when I was a kid were just in movies or in books. They are seeing the reality of it now.”
The Airdrie Space Science Club’s first meeting of 2023 will take place at the Aecon Room at Genesis Place on Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. Memberships cost $10 per participant, and new members are always welcome.
For more information on the Airdrie Space Science Club email [email protected].
