WEEKEND ACTIVITIES
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Saturday & Sunday
Inside the Museum:
- 7 Wonders of the Solar System - History Channel Movie or To Be An Astronaut Movie - Houston Space Center - Theater Room
- Tours - Guided and self guided - includes holding a real meteorite found in 1576 & watching a video of an Atlantis Shuttle space launch and landing in our Earth Space Transport Module
- Color a space page for our Art Gallery Wall - Cosmic Cafe
- Paper Airplanes, Alien Face Mask, & other activities - Cosmic Cafe
- Fun with blow up - Rocket balloons in the Rotunda
- Megawatt Shows
- Concession Stand - (drinks/popcorn/cotton candy/cookies/chips, etc.) prices are $ 1.00 - $ 2.00 - Cosmic Cafe
- Create a Planet on paper - Cosmic Cafe
- My Solar System - Hug-A-Planet - Theater Room
Next Family STAR Night is Sat. April 28- NATIONAL ASTRONOMY DAY: Select Saturdays. Challenger Space Center is hosting an entertaining and interactive astronomy night that is fun for the whole family. The doors open at 6 p.m. for fun hands-on activities, a simulated space launch, and our new “Scout Corner.” At 7:30 p.m. Professional Stargazer Tony LaConte gives an amazing interactive slide presentation on constellations, planets, and upcoming sky events with outdoor stargazing, weather-permitting. Please call ahead to reserve Scout Activity Packets, 623-322-2001. The fee is $7 per person with children 3 and under free; 25% discount for Challenger Members. MORE
*Please note: On Saturday, May 5th the Center will be closing to the public at 1:00pm due to a Special Corporate Event. We will resume our normal business hours on Sunday, May 6th.
Space-Tots: This exciting introduction to space and science is designed specifically for ages 3-6 with a parent or guardian and teaches children about our planet, solar system, and what it takes to be an astronaut. Fee is $20 per child/parent pair for non-members, $15 per child/parent pair for members, and $5 for each additional child. Space-Tots is scheduled on the third Monday or Tuesday of each month September through May. Prepaid reservations are required; call 623-322-2001 to register. MORE
Expanded Hours: Challenger Space Center is now open to the public seven days a week 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; the Center was previously closed on Sundays. The 10 a.m. opening time for the public will not affect school field trips and certain special programs which sometimes begin prior to 10 a.m. during the week.
Simulated Space Missions: Matinee Mission Team members take part in a daring trek of exploration inside a simulator of Mission Control and the International Space Station.Prepaid Reservations are required for all missions by calling the Center at 623-322-2001. Simulated space missions are not suitable for 2nd grade and under. Students in 3rd and 4th grade must be partnered with ticketed adult. Weekends: Saturdays at 1:00 p.m., Sundays at 1:00 p.m. Join us for Summer Break Weekday Matinee Missions on Tuesdays & Thursdays, June 12-August 9! More info click here: Fly to Outer Space
StarLab Planetarium: The Giant StarLab Planetarium presents a 40-minute shows at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. inside Challenger Space Center one Saturday a month. Inside the dome, visitors are transported into a night sky environment perfect for learning about upcoming sky events, the stars, the moon, constellations, planets, deep space objects, celestial coordinates, the seasons, multicultural folklore, and mythology. The fee for the StarLab Planetarium is $4 per person plus the cost of general admission, with a 25% discount for Challenger members. Please call ahead to reserve Scout Activity Packets for your group, 623-322-2001. MORE
Grandparents’ Day: The second Saturday of each month is Grandparents’ Day at Challenger Space Center. The general admission fee is half-price for grandparents escorting a grandchild and there will be complimentary coffee in the Cosmic Café on Grandparents’ Day. This special event runs September – May.
An Astronaut’s Life: Articles Flown in Space: This Smithsonian Institution exhibit featuring 23 items on loan from the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., 19 of which have flown in space on Gemini 8, Skylab 2, and several STS missions. The artifacts tell the story of how astronauts live in space. Visitors will see a model of the complete, two-astronaut Gemini spacecraft as it appeared in orbit, a Mercury capsule hatch, a procedures trainer form-fitting couch, and a TV camera similar to the one used to transmit images of astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11 and record their activities (the original camera is still on the moon). Also included are items on loan from Former NASA Space Shuttle Astronaut William Gregory including personal items which flew with him on STS-67 Endeavour March 2-18, 1995, Gregory’s NASA jet flight suit, helmet, oxygen mask and boots he wore as a T-38 test pilot. Exhibit is free with paid admission to the Center. MORE
My Solar System (Hug - A - Planet): My Solar System is an exiting exhibit where kids of all ages jump up and catch or “hug” a planet. Using motion detection technology, kids capture a planet and a fun fact about that planet is laser-beamed onto the wall. Made possible by a grant from the Tohono O’odham Nation. Free with paid admission to the Center.