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Pay To Work Hard at Science Camp

By catdynamics on August 21, 2006.

Chad asks if we could charge grown-ups for fantasy science camps...

I suppose idle millionaire trips to the International Space Station don't count, because, er, they don't actually do any science up there...

but, as always astronomy leads the way:

I happen to know that the Carnegie Institute (west coast edition), as part of their centennial function, had an auction of various astronomy related things, and one was to accompany a senior researcher (and I hope some postdocs to, like, actually do the work) on an observing run to Hawaii (I want to say Keck, but I'm not sure); it sold, for a lot of money - strangely I happen to know the people who bought the trip, as well as the Carnegie person offering the experience.

So, it can be done.

I mean, how much would you pay to go to Hawaii and spend three days at the top of a tall cold mountain and stay up all night in a small metal room with too little oxygen.

Oops, I forgot - someone also won a night with Geoff Marcy - ASP eBay auction.

PS: Hm, observing with Geoff is more than playing b'ball with Michael. Excellent.
Always trust market forces...

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Earthwatch does this to some degree, charging people to come out and work on research projects in amazing places around the world...if I had the funding, I would definitely be up for something like that!

Well, at least one space tourist did some science work while in the space station. My countryman Mark Shuttleworth did some work relating to AIDS and genome research. I don't know how useful it was, but he wasn't up there only for the view.