Skip to main content

NASA opportunities for the BSA

With his special viewing glasses, 12-year-old Alex Frye prepares to watch a partial solar eclipse in 2014.
With his special viewing glasses, 12-year-old Alex Frye prepares to watch a partial solar eclipse in 2014.

The International Space Station (ISS) is one of the brightest objects in the sky and you can freely sign up for text or email alerts for when it will be visible in your area at Spot the Station.  It’s a good campout or summer camp activity.

While the ISS can be seen on a regular basis, Scouts can occasionally experience eclipses where information about upcoming events plus safety guidelines can be seen found online at Eclipses.  In portions of the United States, an annular solar eclipse will be visible in 2023 while a total solar eclipse will be visible in 2024.

NASA Visitor Centers are located across the country and enable Scouts to see NASA spacecraft and more.  Many of them periodically offer programs specifically geared for Scouts, such as badge and overnight programs, where they include the following:
•  California Science Center, Los Angeles, CA (home of the space shuttle Endeavor)
•  INFINITY Science Center, Pearlington, MS
•  Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, New York, NY (home of the space shuttle Enterprise)
•  Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Merritt Island, FL (home of the space shuttle Atlantis)
•  Space Center Houston, Houston, TX
•  U.S. Space & Rocketry Center, Huntsville, AL
•  Virginia Air & Space Center, Hampton, VA

NASA Links:
•   Eclipses
•   NASA Visitor Centers
•   Spot the Station

Provide feedback