About Us

Challenger Learning Center for Space Science Education

The Challenger Learning Center was established as a living memorial to the heroes of the Challenger 51-L crew. A stand- alone facility, the Richland School District One's Challenger Learning Center opened in 1996.

The Challenger Learning Center is an exciting, hands-on, simulated space science environment where students and educators work in teams to solve real-life math, science and technology problems during a space flight simulation.

Supporting the educational experience at each Learning Center are innovative curriculum materials that guide the student crews on their simulated space flight. The materials become the integral elements of a scenario.

A significant portion of the Challenger Learning Center simulator uses software and computers to provide a network environment conducive to problem-solving, teamwork and sharing information between the Space Station and Mission Control, which is modeled after Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The scenario presents tasks and poses dilemmas to develop problem-solving and communication skills. The missions are two hours long.

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Space Station and Mission Control

The Challenger Learning Center has a simulated space station and mission control room modeled after NASA's Johnson Space Center and a space lab ready for exploration. When students arrive at the Challenger Learning Center, they take part in a pre-briefing to learn about their mission and receive their assignments.

The group is then divided into two groups with one half of the participants taking their stations in Mission Control and the other half through the astronaut entry to the Space Station. Each member is assigned to one of the eight teams that make up the crew. Halfway through the mission, the students exchange places so everyone has an opportunity to experience both Mission Control and the Space Station. This would be an exciting two hours your group would never forget. Click here for more information about our programs.

The James E. Clyburn Aerospace Education Laboratory

The Challenger Learning Center is also the home of the James E. Clyburn Aerospace Education Laboratory (AEL). The Laboratory is an enlightening, hi-tech educational classroom with 11 workstations.

The facility's unique workstations include a working wind tunnel, air traffic control center and a virtual reality flight simulator. All stations are equipped with aviation hardware and software designed to model real-world challenges in aviation. ]

NASA's aeronautics' theme ties the workstations together, as participants work collectively to gather essential data necessary to plan and complete a simulated cross-country flight across the Unites States. Click here for more information about our programs.