Movie Type: Family-Oriented Adventure, Space Adventure
Themes: Race Against Time, Teachers and Students, Daring Rescues
Main Cast: Leaf Phoenix, Kate Capshaw, Lea Thompson, Kelly Preston, Larry B. Scott, Tom Skerritt
Release Year: 1986
Country: US
Run Time: 115 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
This is an eerily prescient family adventure starring Kate Capshaw as Andie, a frustrated NASA astronaut who's never actually been into outer space. Her husband, flight controller Zach (Tom Skerritt), is sympathetic, but he can't influence her place in the rotation. Andie is assigned to train a group of intelligent high school students at the summer science camp called Space Camp, which is run by NASA and supervised by her husband. There she meets her campers: Kevin (Tate Donovan), a blasé, horny teenager; Tish (Kelly Preston), an airhead with a photographic memory; Kathryn (Lea Thompson), an arrogant pilot; obnoxious youngster Max (Joaquin Phoenix); and scientist-in-training Rudy (Larry B. Scott). While testing the solid booster rockets aboard a real shuttle, the team is blasted into space accidentally. Without enough air, the discordant team pulls together, each discovering hidden talents. The "Challenger" space shuttle disaster in January 1986 was bizarrely similar to the events depicted in Spacecamp, with far more horrific results. Its release date pushed back several months because of the tragedy, the film was still a painful reminder to the public of the national calamity, and it consequently grossed only about $10 million at the box office. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Tate Donovan - Kevin; Barry Primus - Brennan; Terry O'Quinn - Launch Director; Mitchell Anderson - Banning; Scott Coffey - Gardener; Rocky Krakoff - Boy on Rooftop; Daryl Roach - NASA #1; Frank Welker; Susan Becton - Senior Counselor; Ben D. Casey - Rudy's Father; Kevin Gage - Counselor No. 2; Kathy Hanson - Girl; Ron Harris - Tom the Technician; Scott Holcomb - Hideo Takamini; Saundra McGuire - Rudy's Mother; Peter Scranton - NASA #2; Jon Steigman - Bully in Dorm; Rebecca Hollye Suggs - Young Andie; Adrian Wells - Rudy's Brother; Terry White - NASA #3; Leaf Phoenix - Max; Bill Phillips - Kathryn's Father
Credit
Leon R. Harris - Art Director, Richard J. Lawrence - Art Director, David Salven - Associate Producer, Mike Fenton - Casting, Jane Feinberg - Casting, Pat Norris - Costume Designer, Harry Winer - Director, Timothy Board - Editor, John W. Wheeler - Editor, Leonard J. Goldberg - Executive Producer, John Williams - Composer (Music Score), Katalin Elek - Makeup, Papp Zoltan - Makeup, David E. Diano - Camera Operator, Richard Macdonald - Production Designer, William A. Fraker - Cinematographer, David Salven - Production Manager, Patrick Bailey - Producer, Walter Coblenz - Producer, Richard C. Goddard - Set Designer, Charles Gaspar - Special Effects, Clifford Green - Screenwriter, Marshall Herskovitz - Screenwriter, Casey T. Mitchell - Screenwriter, W.W. Wicket - Screenwriter, Larry B. Williams - Screenwriter, Ellen Green - Screenwriter
The movie's release was untimely, coming out six months following the Challenger accident of January 28, 1986. A rewrite of the book to coincide with the movie mentioned the disaster. Most of the weightlessness scenes were shot in a Vomit Comet,[citation needed] and the exteriors of the spacecraft launch were from STS-51C.
The movie revolves around four teenagers and a 12-year-old boy named Max who have gone to space camp for three weeks during summer to learn about the NASA space program and mimic astronaut training. There they meet Andie Bergstrom, a camp instructor and NASA astronaut who is frustrated that she has not yet been assigned to a space shuttle mission.
Things start to unravel when Max saves a sentient robot named Jinx. To return the favor, Jinx decides to send Max into space after hearing Max say during a moment of frustration after a heated argument with Kevin that he wanted to be in space.
Jinx secretly enters NASA's computer room the night before the teens and Andie were to sit in a shuttle orbiter (Atlantis) as it test-fired its engines (without launching). Jinx asks the computer how the launch could be forced. The computer responds that inducing a "thermal curtain failure", essentially igniting one of the solid rocket boosters, would cause NASA to have to ignite both boosters and launch the shuttle to avoid disaster. While the teens and Andie are aboard the shuttle for its engine test, Jinx forces the computer to falsely signal a thermal curtain failure. Andie finally convinces Launch Control to launch. Shortly after reaching space, voice contact is lost because the shuttle's long-range radio was not flight ready. Andie thinks they can wait until a landing window opens, but finds later that there's not enough oxygen aboard to make it home to Edwards Air Force Base. Meanwhile, Tish begins using a telemetry switch to send a distress signal to NASA via morse code, but no one on the ground notices. Andie takes the shuttle higher to "Space Station Daedalus" to obtain more oxygen, and after docking begins a spacewalk. While on her spacewalk, Andie is injured trying to transfer oxygen into the shuttle. The teenagers are able to get Andie back inside the shuttle, but the time it took them to do so has caused them to miss their re-entry window and they again risk running out of oxygen. Rudy and Kathryn together remember that the shuttle once landed at White Sands, New Mexico, and Tish uses Morse code to signal NASA to let them try for a landing there. Jinx, wanting to help Max, rolls into NASA's control room, fights for attention, and the slow-to-realize Zach figures out that the robot is reading Morse code off the unattended console. Zach figures out the code, "White Sands", and begins preparations for the landing. Because Andie injured her ribs and arm during the spacewalk, Kathryn has to fly the shuttle through re-entry and landing. After struggling to stabilize the shuttle, Kathryn finally succeeds and lands the shuttle safely.
Characters and cast
Andie Bergstrom (Kate Capshaw). Andie was a camp instructor and astronaut who had dreamed of going into space since she was a child. She had become embittered and frustrated with waiting to be assigned to a mission and was growing tired of chaperoning children at the camp.
Zach Bergstrom (Tom Skerritt) was the camp director and Andie's husband. In the fictional SpaceCamp universe, he was one of the astronauts that walked on the Moon.
Kevin Donaldson (Tate Donovan). A bitterly arrogant and selfish teen, Kevin made it clear from the start that he didn't want to be at Space Camp and looked down on people who did — he admitted the only reason he attended was because his father bought him a Jeep. Donaldson was originally assigned to a different team of campers, but he wanted to get to know Kathryn so he stole another camper's tag (Hideo Takamini) and joined her group. (note: this is Tate Donovan's big screen debut as a co-star, his first film was No Small Affair in 1984). Andie decides to correct his lack of care and interest by forcing him to the the commander, much to Kathryn's disgust.
Kathryn Fairly (Lea Thompson). Kathryn was a private pilot and wanted to be the first woman shuttle commander (at the time the movie aired, there were no women shuttle pilots or commanders; Andie was a pilot, but as above had not flown yet — the first woman shuttle pilot and commander is astronaut Eileen M. Collins). She idolized camp counselor Andie Bergstrom, a real astronaut. However, not being granted captaincy and finding Andie on her case all the time frustrates her, until Andie tells Kathryn that she has the right stuff, but implies (doesn't directly say,) that women have to work twice as hard to be thought half as good. Kathryn arrived at the camp by piloting her own biplane. But while she assumes that she can handle captaincy, she is forced to realize that Andie is right. She is much more capable as a pilot.
Rudy Tyler (Larry B. Scott). Rudy was at Space Camp because he loved science. He admitted to not being very good at it, but he wanted to combine his love of science with his love of french fries and open the first fast food franchise in space.
Tish Ambrose (Kelly Preston). Tish, a typical teenager (and semi-Valley Girl), saw camp as a way to be away from her parents. She came across as a ditzy blonde, but in fact had a photographic memory and had a near perfect score on her SATs. She had done a project using radio telescopes and was motivated by the possibility of listening to radio waves from space. She was also interested in communicating with alien beings that did not require oxygen. It was Tish who understood Morse Code, suggested it, and implimented it as a means of communication.
Max Graham (Joaquin Phoenix, then credited as Leaf Phoenix). Max was an eager 12-year-old space enthusiast who bonded with the robot Jinx. He had been to Junior Camp twice in a row, and was supposed to be in Junior Camp again, but snuck into the camp for older kids instead. Andie, knowing Max from earlier years, let him stay. Max is a whiz kid with a 180 IQ. He loves the films from the Star Wars universe (which the franchise's music score was by John Williams, who composed the music for this film), and much of his conversation is peppered with lingo from the films.
Jinx, was a sentient robot, who became Max's friend. Described by Andie as "the world's only $27-million handyman", it facilitated the group's launch into space, then helped rescue them by discovering Tish's telemetry morse code. He was voiced by Frank Welker.
The "Family Guy" episode entitled "Movin' Out (Brian's Song)" features a scene in which Stewie introduces Brian to the robot Jinx from Space Camp to cheer him up.
