Students gain practical engineering experience by designing and building functional Mars Rovers or habitats, complemented by an inspiring field trip to NASA.
The UH STEM Center's Mars Rover/Habitat Design Camp offers middle school students an immersive, hands-on experience in science and engineering. Participants will engage in the engineering design process by defining problems, brainstorming solutions, planning, creating, testing, and refining their designs. Activities include designing and building model Mars Rovers or habitats to carry out science and engineering missions on the surface of Mars. Students will also tackle challenges such as designing and testing lunar landers and constructing blueprints for Martian habitats. The camp culminates in a showcase where students present their designs and participate in a Mars Rover race challenge. A highlight of the week is a field trip to Space Center Houston and NASA Johnson Space Center, providing authentic exposure to aerospace careers and deepening students' understanding of space exploration. The program aims to cultivate essential STEM skills, foster teamwork, and inspire the next generation of innovators and engineers.
A typical day involves hands-on activities structured around the engineering design process, where students design, build, and test their Mars Rover or habitat models, often culminating in a showcase or challenge.
This camp is ideal for middle school students who are curious about space exploration, enjoy hands-on building, and are interested in developing problem-solving and engineering skills.
Multiple Locations
Houston STEM Summer Camps is a free directory service that aggregates publicly available information about STEM programs, summer camps, and educational opportunities. We do not operate, sponsor, endorse, accredit, certify, or have any affiliation with the camps and programs listed here unless explicitly stated.
All program details — including pricing, session dates, instructor credentials, curriculum, safety policies, refund terms, transportation, meal arrangements, and admission requirements — are sourced from publicly available information and may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect. Listings are partially generated and updated using automated AI-assisted research, which can occasionally produce inaccurate details. Parents and guardians are solely responsible for independently verifying every detail directly with the camp before enrolling, paying, or relying on any information shown here.
We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the accuracy, completeness, suitability, safety, quality, availability, or fitness for any particular purpose of any camp, program, or information shown on this site. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all liability for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages of any kind — including but not limited to financial loss, missed sessions, refund disputes, injury, child safety incidents, transportation issues, dissatisfaction with educational outcomes, or any other harm — arising from your use of this directory or your decision to enroll a child in any listed program. Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of these terms.
If you are a camp operator and notice any inaccurate information about your program, please contact us and we will review and update it. By submitting an inquiry via this site, you consent to the camp contacting you with information about their program.
