Star Trek's Starfleet Academy Becomes Real With Nichelle Nichols' Space Camp

Nichelle Nichols Space Camp opens its doors in January 2026, and it's the closest thing to a real-life Starfleet Academy as seen in Star Trek. Inspired by the legacy of Nichelle Nichols, who played the iconic Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in Star Trek: The Original Series, Nichelle Nichols Space Camp is committed to giving young women an education and future careers in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), impacting their lives for the better. Nichelle Nichols Space Camp also represents Star Trek's philosophy of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations).

In Star Trek, Starfleet Officers are trained at Starfleet Academy. Based in San Francisco, Starfleet Academy prepares future explorers and scientists for careers serving aboard starships and space stations, and working alongside a diverse array of species from every corner of the United Federation of Planets. Star Trek's next TV series, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, will depict the adventures of 32nd-century Starfleet cadets.

Every Star Trek fan has imagined what it must be like to attend Starfleet Academy and prepare for life on the final frontier. For girls aged 14 to 18, Nichelle Nichols Space Camp is as close as can be to attending a real-life Starfleet Academy.

Nichelle Nichols' Space Camp Makes Star Trek's Starfleet Academy Real

Girls 14-18 Will Learn The Values Of Infinite Diversity In Infinite Combinations

The Nichelle Nichols Space Camp is a partnership between the Nichelle Nichols Foundation and the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Since 1982, the US Space & Rocket Center has been a globally recognized program that mirrors the intensive training of NASA astronauts, emphasizing teamwork and leadership, and fueling the dreams of future space explorers. Nichelle Nichols Space Camp is open to young minds from all 50 U.S. states, territories, and over 150 foreign countries, reflecting the diversity and inclusivity of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets.

Nichelle Nichols Space Camp is a 3-day program combining established astronaut training (including zero-G and space suits) with topics like Mars colonization and the possibility to contact with intelligent alien life. Nichelle Nichols Space Camp boasts programs for a wide array of space enthusiasts, including learning about space, aviation, and robotics. Students will work as a team and confront mission scenarios that require dynamic problem-solving and critical thinking, developing 21st-century learning skills applicable to real-life workplaces and everyday life.

Some of the programs offered at Nichelle Nichols Space Camp include First Contact Mission, where Cadets will have the exciting opportunity to encounter a new species and initiate a peaceful greeting the way Lt. Uhura would. Occupy Mars imagines what living on Mars is like and explores the challenges of life on the Red Planet. IDIC Class is a very Star Trek program to learn about the Vulcan philosophy of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations, celebrating the vast array of variables in the universe. Cadets can also build and launch their own model rocket, learn leadership skills, join simulations, and participate in Spacesuit Component Testing.

Star Trek Legends Are Part Of Nichelle Nichols Space Camp

Two Major Names From Classic And Current Star Trek Are Involved

Nichelle Nichols Space Camp involves two notable names from classic and current Star Trek series. The legendary Walter Koenig sits on the board of directors and is a spokesman for the organization. Of course, as Ensign Pavel Chekov, Koenig was a dear friend of Nichelle Nichols and her fellow cast member from Star Trek: The Original Series. Walter and Nichelle also co-starred in six Star Trek movies together.

Bonnie Gordon also joins Nichelle Nichols Space Camp as Space Camp Cadet Coordinator and Chaperone. Best known as the voice of the USS Protostar's computer and several other roles on Star Trek: Prodigy, Bonnie will be on hand to help cadets navigate the mysteries and wonders of the universe. Gordon is also an actor, singer, and a popular and effervescent personality at Star Trek conventions.

Nichelle Nichols' Star Trek & NASA Legacy

There's Even A Documentary About Nichelle Nichols' Work With NASA

Nichelle Nichols has a decades-long legacy with NASA that began after Star Trek: The Original Series ended. Beginning in the 1970s, Nichelle Nichols, through her company Women in Motion, recruited qualified women and people of color as candidates for NASA's space shuttle program. Nichols toured the country as a NASA spokeswoman, and her work brought Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, and Col. Guion Bluford, the first African-American in space, to NASA. Nichols continued to be affiliated with NASA and remained a strong and enthusiastic proponent of space exploration until her death in 2022.

When it came time to name NASA's first space shuttle in the 1970s, President Gerald Ford, who was a Star Trek fan, suggested the name Enterprise. Fittingly, Gene Roddenberry joined Nichelle Nichols and the cast of Star Trek to watch the space shuttle Enterprise roll out of the Palmdale manufacturing facilities on September 17, 1976. Nichelle Nichols' extraordinary work with NASA is chronicled in the documentary Woman in Motion, which is available to stream on Paramount+.

Bringing the spirit of Star Trek to a new generation and honoring the legacy of Nichelle Nichols, the Nichelle Nichols Space Camp welcomes bright young minds to enter the final frontier and explore their place and future among the stars when it opens at the US Space & Rocket Center in January 2026.