Children hope Nasa space camp will take them one small step closer to Mars

Young would-be astronauts are flocking to Cape Canaveral to learn what it takes to be picked for the next US missions into space

On recent evidence at least, Space Camp, an all-American rite of passage for generations of young maths wizards, science geeks and wannabe astronauts, ought to have disappeared into a black hole.

Nasa no longer launches people into orbit, the US government's investment in its space agency is as low as it has ever been, and the last rocket sent from Cape Canaveral with supplies for the International Space Station exploded last month seconds after lift-off. On the face of it, there doesn't seem to be much for the next wave of explorers and adventurers to get excited about.