LARAMIE, Wyo., July 31 -- The University of Wyoming issued the following news release:

While the nation prepares for an upcoming mission to the moon, 28 intrepid middle-schoolers got even more ambitious as they planned their own mission to an extrasolar planet.

Students from across Wyoming and Colorado spent the week of July 12-18 on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie, getting hands-on with science and engineering at the Windy Ridge Foundation Astro Camp.

The UW Department of Physics and Astronomy has been running a form of Astro Camp since 2003, with the Windy Ridge Foundation generously providing funding for the camp since 2021.

This summer, campers had the opportunity to focus on the science and engineering behind exploring ...