A popular program that lets people of all ages reach for the stars is about to take off at the Kopernik Observatory and Science Center in Vestal.

Kopernik executive director Drew Deskur talks about RocketFest on the June 2 edition of the weekly local public affairs program Southern Tier Close Up.

Registration is currently being accepted for the June 9th festival that allows families to construct and fire their own model rockets, which can range from the very basic to more advanced models.

Deskur says slots are also still open for summer camp programs for grades 1-12 and vary in subject matter from unraveling codes and identifying species to actually communicating with the International Space Station via Kopernik's amateur (HAM) radio hookup.

Friday programs also continue throughout the summer for all ages with the possibility of sky-viewing on clear nights.

Southern Tier Close Up airs Saturdays at 12:10 p.m. on News Radioi 1290 WNBF.

Information and registration for Kopernik programs can be found at www.kopernik.org.

More From WNBF News Radio 1290 AM & 92.1 FM