Rolling enrollment open. Courses prorated.
Explore now.Kerbal Space Players Does your child dream of space exploration, rocket launches, and interstellar adventures? In Kerbal Space Players, they’ll do more than just play a game - they’ll develop real-world STEM skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork, all while having an absolute blast (sometimes literally!). Why Play Kerbal Space Program? Kerbal Space Program isn’t just a game - it’s a fun and engaging way to learn rocket science! NASA, SpaceX, and real aerospace engineers praise its accuracy in orbital mechanics and physics. As your child builds and launches their own spacecraft, they’ll develop critical thinking, resilience, and an understanding of real-world space travel. Plus, it’s packed with creativity, experimentation, and (controlled) chaos, making learning an adventure!.
This course is not currently being offered. Please check back later or explore our other available courses.
Does your child dream of space exploration, rocket launches, and interstellar adventures? In Kerbal Space Astronauts, they will do more than just play a game.
Your child will develop real-world STEM skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork, all while having an absolute blast (sometimes literally). It is packed with creativity, experimentation, and controlled chaos, which makes learning a true adventure.
Kerbal Space Program isn't just a game, it is a fun and engaging way to learn rocket science. NASA, SpaceX, and real aerospace engineers praise its accuracy in orbital mechanics and physics. As your child builds and launches their own spacecraft, they develop critical thinking, resilience, and an understanding of real-world space travel.
Your child will build and launch their own spacecraft, learning through hands-on experimentation and teamwork every step of the way. Prepare for takeoff and let your child's space adventure begin.
This course feeds the hunger to understand how the world works. Your child builds real scientific thinking, not just memorized facts, through investigation and discovery guided by an expert mentor. Parents tell us their kids start designing their own experiments at home and asking questions that go far beyond the textbook.
When science connects to things your child already cares about, it sticks. This course bridges classroom concepts and real-world applications in ways that make learning feel natural and exciting. Parents see their kids retain more, engage more, and develop genuine enthusiasm for discovery.
Feed their scientific curiosity, building real investigative skills guided by an expert mentor 
Develop the ability to ask good questions, design investigations, and draw evidence-based conclusions 
Connect classroom science to real-world applications in ways that make learning feel natural and genuinely exciting 
Build confidence approaching complex scientific material in a small group where every question is welcomed 
Amy Bechtol is a neurodivergent individual, educator, and activist. Six years ago she thought it would be fun to volunteer teach for a week as a break from entertainment design work, and accidentally found her passion. Amy has worked in neurodivergent and twice-exceptional education ever since, covering a wide breadth of topics from the humanities, to the sciences, to the visual arts. Her background as an entertainment designer and storyteller informs her teaching practices, finding ways to make content relevant to human experiences. Amy loves getting to work with her students, who often share a neurology similar to her own, connecting them to curriculum in a way that is meaningful, novel, and fun. Utilizing a strength-based, talent-focused model, Amy seeks to engage learners by allowing them to connect their best, most authentic selves to the material. She believes that a state of growth is the natural state of a human mind, and it is the purpose of a classroom to facilitate that process, and allow it to be a joyful one. When not embroiled in the world of education she likes to indulge in her autistic special interests, which include working on her small farm in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, identifying wild plants and animals, reading thick books, making art, and sometimes, even playing some video games.
WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING
Parents don't just see happier kids. They see sharper thinking, stronger friendships, and a child who actually wants to log on.
★★★★★
"Amy turned my son's love of Kerbal into real rocket science. He explains orbital mechanics to me now, and he is nine years old."
Sofia R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter blew up a hundred rockets and Amy celebrated every failure as data. That resilience carried straight into her schoolwork."
Devin R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Amy turned my son's love of Kerbal into real rocket science. He explains orbital mechanics to me now, and he is nine years old."
Sofia R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter blew up a hundred rockets and Amy celebrated every failure as data. That resilience carried straight into her schoolwork."
Devin R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Amy makes physics feel like play. My son thinks he is just launching spacecraft, but he is learning thrust, gravity, and problem-solving without realizing it."
Priya R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"When a launch failed, Amy helped my daughter work out why and try again. She learned more about persistence in this course than anywhere else."
Gordon R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Amy makes physics feel like play. My son thinks he is just launching spacecraft, but he is learning thrust, gravity, and problem-solving without realizing it."
Priya R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"When a launch failed, Amy helped my daughter work out why and try again. She learned more about persistence in this course than anywhere else."
Gordon R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son counts down to Amy's course every week. He sketches spacecraft on paper between sessions and cannot wait to test them."
Talia R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Amy meets my kid's intensity for space head on. She feeds his curiosity instead of telling him to slow down, and he is thriving."
Wesley R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son counts down to Amy's course every week. He sketches spacecraft on paper between sessions and cannot wait to test them."
Talia R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Amy meets my kid's intensity for space head on. She feeds his curiosity instead of telling him to slow down, and he is thriving."
Wesley R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Amy turned my son's love of Kerbal into real rocket science. He explains orbital mechanics to me now, and he is nine years old."
Sofia R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My daughter blew up a hundred rockets and Amy celebrated every failure as data. That resilience carried straight into her schoolwork."
Devin R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Amy makes physics feel like play. My son thinks he is just launching spacecraft, but he is learning thrust, gravity, and problem-solving without realizing it."
Priya R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"When a launch failed, Amy helped my daughter work out why and try again. She learned more about persistence in this course than anywhere else."
Gordon R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"My son counts down to Amy's course every week. He sketches spacecraft on paper between sessions and cannot wait to test them."
Talia R.
YSA parent
★★★★★
"Amy meets my kid's intensity for space head on. She feeds his curiosity instead of telling him to slow down, and he is thriving."
Wesley R.
YSA parent
If you’re not 100% in love with the course, you have options depending on how you enrolled:
You can switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit or get a credit to use toward a future course.
You can either get credit toward a future course, switch to another course of equal or lesser value that’s a better fit, or stop all future payments after a 30-day processing period.
No risk. No stress. Just the learning and belonging you have been looking for.
We can offer this because we know what we do works for thousands of other families. Kids become more self-confident. They find their people. And families tell us this is the place where their student finally feels welcome. We know it will work for your family, too.
All-Access Passes have separate terms and conditions. Please see the All-Access Pass pages.
It goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway... to qualify for the satisfaction guarantee policy, you have to actually attend the classes. This is not a cancellation policy. It’s a satisfaction guarantee. You can’t be satisfied or dissatisfied if you don’t attend.
Young Scholars Academy is a virtual village that offers one-of-a-kind, engaging enrichment courses and community for 5-18-year-old bright, quirky kids to empower them to develop their strengths, make like-minded friends, cultivate life skills, build confidence, and feel great about themselves under the loving care of expert mentors. description2: >- Picture a place where your child fits in, is celebrated, mentored, and loves learning the unique content their beautiful brain craves. That happens every day at YSA for over 1,200+ families, and it can happen for your family, too.
WASC Accredited · 1,200+ Families · 93% Re-Enroll · 47+ States, 17 Countries, 6 Continents
Learn more about YSAQUESTIONS ABOUT THIS COURSE
Everything you need to know before enrolling your child.
Most online classes put 20-30 kids in a room with a teacher who reads slides. At YSA, your child joins a group of 8 or fewer students who think like they do, led by a mentor who was often once just like them. Cameras are optional. The content is chosen by passion, not grade level. And 93% of families re-enroll - because kids who have never liked school before fight to log on to YSA.
Yes. YSA families join from 47+ states and 17 countries across 6 continents. All you need is an internet connection. We schedule sections across multiple time zones so families worldwide can find a time that works.
Kerbal Space Astronauts meets once per week for 50 minutes, every week from August through December. Your child joins the same tight-knit group of up to 8 students and the same mentor all semester long. Same friends, same mentor, a new challenge every week.
Our gifted and 2e students experience such asynchronous development that hard age limits rarely tell the full story. If your student should be aged up or aged down, contact us at support@youngscholarsacademy.org or click the chat in the bottom right corner of the screen. We do this all the time.
Please don't confuse reactive distance learning with what happens at YSA. When a kid is engaged in a course they chose, with a mentor who gets them and peers who share their interests, the screen disappears. They're not on a screen. They're with their people. Parents tell us their children fight to log on to YSA.
If your child isn't loving a course by the end of the first week, swap into a different course. Same semester. No questions. Not the right fit within the first month? We'll stop payments, switch courses, or issue credit toward any future course. The credit never expires. And you keep every bonus you've received. Over 93% of YSA families don't just stay. They add more courses.
No. Cameras are always optional. Always. Many of our students start with cameras off and turn them on when they're comfortable. Our mentors engage every student equally, cameras on or off.
No. If you're here, you're in the right place. We don't require paperwork, evaluations, or labels. Whether your child has been formally identified as gifted or twice-exceptional, whether you suspect it but haven't pursued testing, or whether you just know your kid's brain works differently and nothing else has fit, they're welcome here.
Yes. YSA is an approved vendor with 10+ state ESA programs including Arizona ESA, Utah Fits All, ClassWallet, My Tech High, Florida Step Up, and others. Enroll directly to secure your child's spot, submit the invoice to your ESA, and your payment method is refunded when funds transfer. Many families pay zero out of pocket.
Click "See Available Times" on this page, pick the section that fits your schedule, and your child's spot is secured immediately. No phone call. No placement test. No prerequisite.
Right now, a kid who thinks like your kid is in a course they chose, with a mentor who was once just like them, surrounded by friends who don't think they're weird... they think they're interesting.
Your child is one click from finding out what that feels like.
Kerbal Space Program 1 required (Available on Steam, Epic Games, and GOG.com. Expansion packs are optional but welcome. Note: KSP2 is not recommended due to performance issues.)