“Space Station, this is Mission Control. Do you read me? Over.”

This dialogue is carried out at least twice a day by students at The Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky in Hazard, KY as they begin their simulated space mission to “Rendezvous with a Comet”, “Return to the Moon”, or take a “Voyage to Mars”. Visitors to the Challenger Learning Center of KY work in a realistic mock-up of an orbiting Space Station and a Mission Control room patterned after NASA’s Johnson Space Center. They become participants in a NASA team of scientists, engineers and technicians, all critical components to completing their successful space mission. During the mission participants must monitor and maintain the health of the astronauts and the environmental conditions aboard the space station, test solar array panels for damage and oxygen filters for radiation, collect data on meteors, plants, and water, learn to navigate in space, and build and launch a probe. Whew!! Talk about a days work!

Dedicated to the memory of the Challenger 51-L Crew lost in the space shuttle accident in 1986, the Challenger Center uses the theme of space exploration to create positive learning experiences and motivate young people to explore. The curriculum, which is aligned to the Kentucky state science, math and literacy standards, is designed for sixth through eighth grade students.

More than 10,000 students each year experience the excitement of simulation, merging the power of imagination with the excitement of discovery. “Challenger Learning Centers are a symbol of education in the future” according to state Education Commissioner, Gene Wilhoit, noting that the computerized missions emphasize each area of core content testing, including reading, writing, arts and vocational skills as well as math and science.

In addition to the Simulated Space Mission program the Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky has programs designed for various ages and grade levels. These programs include: