Nina Southern of Falls Church, the child of Jason and Kristen Southern, graduated from the NASA-based Lunar Base program July 20 at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. Nina will be entering the third grade at Haycock Elementary School this fall.

Developed by Cosmosphere staff, Lunar Base is a five-day camp for children entering grades 3-4 that seeks to spark children’s interest in space and science. Throughout the week, students participate in various activities that encourage learning, creativity, and discovery. Some of these activities include creating a space-themed painting, watching rocket science demonstrations and designing a lunar base. The final challenge of the week is to power up and operate a simulated lunar base working in teams. They communicate with each other and mission control to carry out their mission. Families are invited on the final day to take part in activities and attend a graduation ceremony.