Like HowStuffWorks on Facebook!

10 Amazing Educational Travel Adventures

Space Out

Everyone knows someone who is incredibly spacey. Why not let that person be you?

Though most people assume that space camp is just for kids, the U.S. Rocket and Space Center in Huntsville, Ala., has adult space camp programs. For three days, adult astronaut wanna-bes take on different roles in a mock space mission, launch model rockets and get to try their hands at far-out astronaut training tools, including a one-sixth gravity chair and a multi-axis trainer. If that's too much adventure (or too much nausea), campers can also work at mission control for the launch and forgo some of the more grueling aspects of astronaut training. At the end of adult space camp, campers will have a deeper understanding of how the space program works, plus lots of pictures of themselves in NASA-esque jumpsuits.

If space camp is still a bit too tame, you can take things far beyond the next level by signing up for a zero-gravity flight. The Zero G Corporation has a modified 727 and for $4,950 per person, they'll take you to 24,000 feet (7,315 meters). There, the plane starts a 45-degree climb to 34,000 feet (10,363 meters), where it goes into a 30-degree dive for 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), offering about 30 seconds of weightlessness. Not only does this provide ample opportunity for you to lose your lunch, but it's also time to conduct zero-gravity experiments and see some of Newton's Laws in action. Zero G has educational programs specifically designed to take advantage of the unique environment the diving plane creates, including a weightless workshop and weightless class room.