Summer Camps 2013
Are you interested in the awesome summer camp programs being hosted here at the Challenger Learning Center? Check out our brochure below for information on all our fun and educational programs this summer.
Click here for PDF Brochure
Click here for a mobile friendly image Brochure
If you would like more information on our summer camp programs please call us at (606) 487-3049 or e-mail us by Clicking Here.
LEGO Donations
Do you have buckets of unused LEGO bricks and pieces gathering dust in an attic? As part of our expanding engineering and science program the Challenger Learning Center will be hosting a series of LEGO themed summer camps this year. We have a variety of camps for different age groups that will cover topics in engineering and science using LEGOs as a hands on model. The high demand for these camps means that we need a large amount of LEGO pieces!
If you have LEGO items that you would like to donate to our programs or if you would like more information on our summer camp programs please call us at (606) 487-3049 or e-mail us by Clicking Here.
Inspiration Mars - Manned Mission to Mars
On February 27th the Inspiration Mars Foundation held a press conference to announce plans to pursue a manned mission to Mars and back. Challenger Center Founding Chair June Scobee Rodgers and Challenger Center President & CEO Lance Bush were invited as special guests to attend the event. While the Challenger Center is not officially partnered with the Mars Inspiration Foundation, June spoke in support of the mission and continued STEM education. One man and one woman are expected to embark on a mission to pass within 100 miles of Mars before returning safely to Earth. The target launch date for the mission is January 5, 2018.
More information is available on the Mars Inspiration Foundation website here.
Remembering Challenger - 27th Anniversary
Monday, January 28th marks the 27th anniversary of the Challenger shuttle disaster, an event which shocked a nation and would later become the inspiration for the Challenger Learning Centers of today. In honor of this event the Challenger organization has released the following statement:
“Challenger Center continues the educational mission of Challenger and its seven crew members through our global network of Challenger Learning Centers,” said Dr. Scott Parazynski, chairman, Challenger Center. “Today’s students are our future leaders. Each year we engage hundreds of thousands of students as they fly missions of discovery through outer and inner space. Over our long history, these hands-on experiences have inspired many to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. This is the vital and continuing mission of Challenger Center, and it is a true honor to be a part the Challenger crew’s legacy.”
"It has been 27 years since we lost Challenger and its 7 crew members, a crew who had grand plans for discovery and adventure,” said Dr. June Scobee Rodgers, founding chair, Challenger Center and widow of Challenger commander Dick Scobee. “On that day, we lost the beloved crew, but not their desire to help teach a nation of children waiting and watching with eager anticipation.”
We here at the Challenger Learning Center of Hazard would like to encourage everyone to take a moment to remember this tragic event and to also seek inspiration in going toward the future. We leave you with a statement made by President Reagan following the shuttle disaster which demonstrates the Challenger spirit that we strive to preserve.
"I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen," he said. "It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them."
FIRST Lego League Regional Tournament
On December 12, 2012 the Challenger Learning Center will host the Hazard KY First Lego League regional tournament where students will be competing using autonomous robots they have designed, built and programmed. They will also be competing in informational presentations and demonstrating the FLL core values such as cooperation and teamwork. Additional information can be found at the links below.
Want information on the FIRST organization and the Lego League? Check out their website by clicking here.
Looking for information on the regional tournament? We will provide up to date information on our regional page as we have it. You can view it by clicking here.
Are you a team looking for our rules updates page regarding the project and robot games? That can be found by clicking here.
Robonaut 2 - A new kind of astronaut
A new kind of astronaut is now working aboard the International Space Station. Robonaut 2 is a computer controlled humanoid robot created to assist astronauts with jobs that were too dangerous or time consuming for humans. Developed by NASA and General Motors, Robonaut 2 is currently being tested aboard the International Space Station. It's humanoid hands allow it to grasp and use the same tools that human astronauts use. While Robonaut 2 has a long way to go before it will be a reliable mission tool we might see models like this assisting our astronauts in the near future!
Fun Fact: Strange Planets
Are you curious about some of the unusual planets out there? Maybe you should check out "55 Cancri e". What's so odd about this far away planet? Well, how about being made mostly out of solid diamond? 55 Cancri e is speculated to be a carbon planet roughly twice the size of Earth and made of up to 30% diamond. To give you an idea of what that means, imagine if all the water on the surface of Earth was diamond instead!
Don't expect to be going there any time soon though. The planet is 40 light years away which means that even if you were traveling at the speed of light it would still take 40 years to reach it! Also - it takes a lot of heat and pressure to make diamond. The surface of the planet is expected to be around 4000 degrees Fahrenheit!
Rover Robotics
Want to try programming a Rover yourself? NASA has released a game that lets you see how difficult it can be! Check out the game at the link below and use a series of commands to get your rover on target. This is great practice for our Lego League teams also! Try and finish the missions using as few commands as possible.
NASA Robotic Rover Game
Charity Challenge
Come join us at the 2012 Run For the Hills 5k Charity run/walk on Saturday October 6th! The event will be starting at Triangle Park in Hazard and donations will support local community and charity groups. You can register online or by mail so sign up and come strengthen your heart and your community! More information can be found at the official link below.
Run For the Hills Charity Challenge
Challenger Photostream Now Live!
The Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky photostream is now live! You can view our expanding archive of photos at our Flickr website and check out some of our ongoing activities and events. Take a look at what goes on during our missions and look forward to regular updates as our young astronauts and engineers rendezvous with comets and more!
You can find our tagged images by searching for tag "CLCKY" or search and browse by tagged school or event name! Don't forget to check our Sets page to view our sorted picture archives. To access the gallery just click the Photo Gallery section on the menu to the right or use the links below.
View the Flickr archive here: CLCKY Flickr Photostream
or go directly to the albums : CLCKY Flickr Albums
Kentucky Unbridled Spirit (In space!)
(09/13/2012) The first satellite to ever be built completely in Kentucky and successfully placed in orbit has now been launched and fully deployed! The CXBN (Cosmic X-ray Background Nanosatellite) was codenamed Unbridled Spirit as its build and design team was led by Morehead State University. The small five pound satellite will use its sophisticated science array to gather more information on the birth of the universe which took place around 13.8 billion years ago!
More information on the launch is available here: Kentucky Space CXBN Launch .
Detailed information on CXBN can be found here: Earth Observation CXBN Details
The CXBN Cube Satellite in its deployed configuration. (image credit:MSU)
2012 Robotics Kickoff!
(09/06/2012) The Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky kicked off the 2012 season of the First Lego League today! The Lego League is a competitive robotics program for grades 4-8 in which participating students will design, build and program autonomous robots to carry out missions on a challenge table. Students will also create a presentation based on this year's challenge topic which will be presented to a panel of judges at each event. This year's challenge topic is Senior Solutions so the challenge missions and presentations will be targeting the problems faced by our senior citizens and potential solutions based on robotics and engineering technology. The tournaments begin at the regional level in December so we look forward to the upcoming months as each team works hard to learn and build!
|
