Rolla, Mo. (KSDK) -- With a few ounces of water, an air pump and a wooden contraption, campers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla are able to send these bottles flying.
For these students, a love of science is what's really taking off as two-liters fill the sky.
Bill Pabst, with the University of Missouri Extension, helps organize the camp.
"We started aerospace camp, it's been about 13 of 14 years ago," Pabst explained. "A lot of it was to have the opportunity to give middle school students the opportunity to play with science during summer."
Research shows around middle school, science stops becoming fun for many students. So the camp has tapped into something that seems to fascinate almost everyone.
"Almost any kid that's interested in science is interested in space science. So it's a pretty easy sell. When they see aerospace, there's a lot of kids that are interested," Pabst said.
Whether they're launching rockets or building radiation shields, each lesson has a "hands-on" element.
"I can actually see how it is instead of just listening to it, it's a lot more fun, and I think it catches my attention better so I learn more," said Alice Evans, a middle school student from Holden, Missouri.
"It's a very fun age to work with, they're fascinated with everything, everything's fun," Pabst said. "As long as we don't sit them down and say we're going to lecture you for half an hour, they're up for anything."
The space program is about to undergo massive changes. But camp organizers are confident the fundamentals of science will still apply, and the lure of space will continue.
"You don't really know everything, it's always a discovery because you have to find new things. It's lot of hard work, but I think it's really fun in the end," said O'Fallon North Middle School student Chris Allensworth.
"Research shows that the more often we get these kids on campus, and get them exposed to possible careers paths, the more likely they are to follow that," Pabst said.
Click here for more information on the Missouri 4-H University of Missouri Extension, the group behind the camp.
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