Max Duvall Graduates from space academy program in Huntsville, Ala.

Published 7:30 am Thursday, August 24, 2017

Max Duvall of Snoqualmie recently attended and graduated from the Advanced Space Academy at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s Official Visitor Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Duvall was part of the Advanced Space Academy program, which is designed for trainees who have an interest in space exploration. Duvall spent the week training with a team that flew a simulated space mission to Mars. The crew participated in experiments and successfully completed an extra-vehicular activity, or spacewalk, and returned to Earth in time to graduate with honors.

The weeklong educational program promotes science, technology, engineering and math, while training students and adults with hands-on activities and missions based on teamwork, leadership and problem solving.

Space Camp operates year-round in Huntsville and uses astronaut training techniques to engage trainees in real-world applications of STEM subjects. Trainees sleep in quarters designed to resemble the International Space Station and train in NASA-inspired simulators.

More than 750,000 trainees have graduated from Space Camp since its inception in 1982. Last year, children and teachers from all 50 states and 69 international locations attended Space Camp.