VIENNA, VA / AGILITYPR.NEWS / October 01, 2026 / Celebrating Inspiration4 Mission’s 5^th Anniversary with Space

Camp Scholarships 

Five years ago, the first all-civilian spaceflight orbited Earth. Today, the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission pilot, Dr. Sian Proctor is choosing to celebrate in a fitting way — raising funds to send community college students and faculty to Space Camp. An online auction has begun for an unusual item, a space-themed guitar featuring space artifacts.

“As a community college professor, I’ve worked with exceptional students and faculty with limited resources,” Proctor said. “Their Space Camp experiences help them aim higher, as the sky is no longer the limit.”  

Space Camp is the oldest and largest STEM camp in the world. Located at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Space Camp has been inspiring the next generation of explorers through teambuilding and leadership exercises based on astronaut training. The Inspiration4 building opened in 2025 and is named after the historic Inspiration4 mission.

Students and faculty find the Space Camp experience to be life changing. The program exposes them to leadership growth opportunities, potential careers, travel and exploration. 

"It's a wonderful program that really helped me discover the importance of perseverance and determination,” said Stephanie Hernandez, a former Space Camp scholar. “Most importantly fear is inevitable but despite being afraid we must never let it stop us from trying.”

“The Proctor Foundation for Art and Science has made a tremendous impact on inspiring the next generation of STEM professionals,” said Emily Pietrzyk, Space Camp assistant director of donor and alumni relations. “Through Dr. Proctor’s foundation, she has helped send many students and faculty and greeted them along their Space Camp Journey.”

The Proctor Foundation for Art and Science has selected an Inspiration4-themed guitar for the auction. The guitar features a spin-mounted challenge coin and signed flight patch, which were flown onboard the mission. The guitar was crafted by luthier-artists Dru Lore and Matt Schaub.

“I learned about the Proctor Foundation’s mission at an astronomy conference, and I wanted to help,” Schaub said. “I enlisted Lore’s expertise to create a guitar with a removable ‘ground control’-style microphone and LEDs to emulate the stunning Earth Light that Dr. Proctor saw on her mission.”

Schaub builds guitars for charities in his spare time and works for AUI, a not-for-profit company that manages and operates large scientific facilities, including the U.S. National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory. He was introduced to Proctor through AUI’s Office of Education Outreach and Public Engagement, which runs a wide range of STEM programs, including the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador Program (ACEAP) of which Proctor is an alumnus. 

Bidding for the guitar begins today on the Proctor Foundation website. If you are outbid, you can still help the Proctor Foundation in its mission by donating directly to the Proctor Foundation. Those who make a donation of $10 or greater to the scholarship fund are invited to participate in a Zoom meeting with Proctor to be scheduled.

About the Proctor Foundation for Art and Science

Founded by Dr. Sian Leo Proctor – the first woman commercial spaceship pilot and only African American woman to be assigned as a mission pilot – the Proctor Foundation for Art and Science encourages community college students to use their knowledge and skills in careers that advance human spaceflight. The foundation provides experiential learning opportunities focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through the arts and humanities.

About Space Camp

Space Camp has been helping inspire the next generation of explorers for more than 42 years. This internationally known program with more than one million alumni is based on NASA astronaut training and focuses on teamwork and leadership skills. Launched in 1982, Space Camp has inspired and motivated young people from around the country, and later the world, with attendees from all 50 states, U.S. territories and 150 foreign countries. The program offers space, aviation and robotics camps to children between the ages of nine to 18, adults of all ages, families and educators.

About AUI

AUI is an independent, not-for-profit corporation founded in 1946 that builds, manages and operates large research and development (R&D) facilities for the federal government, including the U.S. National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) facilities, the Center for American Supply Chain Resilience (CASCR) and the AUI Center for Advancing Therapeutics. AUI also develops and implements innovative approaches to education, outreach and workforce development.