FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kari Sliva, Challenger Space Center Arizona, 21170 N. 83rd Avenue, Peoria, AZ 85382 (Deer Valley & 83rd Ave.)/ 623.322.2012 (direct)/602.574.2481 (cell)/ ksliva@azchallenger.net
Ceremony Remembers Heroes of Space
After 25 Years, Challenger Programs Daily
Turn Tragedy Into Triumph
Jan. 28, 2011, Peoria, Ariz. — What started out as a tragedy on the morning of Jan. 28, 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, has turned into a monumental, educational triumph.
Challenger Space Center Arizona, which is one of 48 national centers serving as a living legacy to the astronauts of the Space Shuttle Challenger, held a Commemoration Event Friday, Jan. 28, at 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at 21170 N. 83rd Ave., Peoria, in the Steele Foundation Rotunda.
The ceremony featured a proclamation by Peoria Mayor Bob Barrett, a new Public Service Announcement by President George H. Bush and June Scobee-Rogers, the widow of Commander Dick Scobee of Challenger mission STS-51-L, and students from Kyrene de la Mariposa, who released balloons with a message of hope attached. Kyrene de la Mariposa was built just after the shuttle accident and their Mascot is The Challengers.
Executive Director Kari Sliva unveiled a new web site as well as new programming for the Center—a simulated mission called Comet Adventures for 4th graders. The Center, a 501(c)(3) education organization and public museum, was recently awarded the new web site by AZGiveCamp, a group of Valley technicians and web designers who periodically award technology gifts to local charities.
The Center has also produced a memorial photo album of American astronauts throughout NASA’s 50 years of space exploration.
The Center’s theater showed the national memorial service. Other live events from NASA TV were shown on the Center’s media stations throughout the day. See below for the center’s hours and general admission rates.
About the Center
The Knight Center for Space Science Education, the educational arm of Challenger Space Center Arizona, uses specialized applied science curriculum which takes what teachers teach in the class and turns it into a hand-on mission to outer space in Challenger’s unique simulator. Students become mission controllers and fly a spacecraft on a two-hour simulation to land a probe on the tail of a comet, return to the moon, or take a voyage to Mars. Arizona State Standards in science, technology, engineering, math and language arts are incorporated into each mission and educational workshops. Built in 2000, more than 50,000 people visit the center annually, 30,000 of which are students.
The Center’s museum, showcasing space memorabilia and interactive exhibits like My Solar System where visitors catch a virtual planet, is open to the public Monday thru Friday (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) Admission is $8 for Adults, $7 for Military & Seniors, and $5 for Students 4-18. Ages 3 & under and members are free. Guided tours are included with admission and are given by volunteers, many of whom are retired from the aerospace industry and enjoy sharing their love of space exploration. Saturdays offer visitors a variety family activities such as stargazing, planetarium shows, and birthday parties. Missions to “fly” in Challenger’s simulator are available to the public for an additional fee at 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. each Saturday.
Currently the museum is featuring a Smithsonian Institution Exhibit called An Astronaut’s Life: Articles Flown In Space, which is on loan until Sept. 2012. Augmenting the Smithsonian exhibit are items from local astronaut Bill Gregory, pilot of STS-67 Endeavour, who placed on loan his personal effects that flew with him and his NASA test pilot gear. Also on display until the end of January is a NASA-NASCAR exhibit “Rockets to Racecars.” Three tires – a space shuttle tire, NASCAR tire and replica lunar rover tire depict technology spinoffs between the two organizations. These exhibits are included with a general admission ticket.
For an interesting corporate teambuilding exercise, the Center re-creates the Apollo 13 crisis and requires teams to use only materials at their disposal to fashion a workable, life-saving solution. Another team-builder re-creates a natural disaster from the island of Montserrat which faced an erupting volcano and approaching hurricane. Teams must safely evacuate the island using communication and the transportation methods available to them. Programs are facilitated by a Challenger Space Center Flight Director.
For more information, visit the center’s web site at www.AZChallenger.org.
About the National Organization
The Challenger Center for Space Science Education is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) education organization created in 1986 by the families of the astronauts from Challenger Space Shuttle “Teacher in Space” mission STS-51-L. Dedicated to the educational spirit of that mission and its seven crew members, Challenger Center develops Challenger Learning Centers and other educational programs worldwide to continue the mission of engaging students in science and mathematics education. Nationally, Challenger Centers reach 400,000 students and up to 15,000 teachers each year through a broad array of mission-based activities. Challenger Learning centers have reached more than 4 million children nationally.
Challenger STS-51-L Crew:
Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, Commander
Michael J. Smith, Pilot
Ron McNair, Mission Specialist
Ellison Onizuka, Mission Specialist
Judy Resnik, Mission Specialist
Gregory Jarvis, Payload Specialist
Christa McAuliffe, Teacher in Space participant