AZ Challenger Space Center

"The Challenger Center mission is right on target when it comes to inspiring our young people to reach for the stars in math and science."

Tom Ambrose
Phoenix Suns

"Challenger was without a doubt the best science experience for the students."

Victoria Day
8th grade Science Teacher

"My preschool class attended a field trip to your Center. I would like to thank you for such a great experience. My students had a wonderful time and 'Ms. Barb' had a great presentation that was geared for the younger student. Your facility is one of the few that offers educational opportunities for the very young. Thank you for your foresight!"

Jean Schubert
Santa Fe Elementary School, Peoria

"I just wanted to take a minute and say how pleased I was with how the mission went. Thanks to the crew at Mission Control, and to the Challenger for an educational experience closely related to our state standards and district curriculum."

Mike Holder
Science Department
Ironwood High School

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A Hosted Experience

The Challenger Space Center offers two unique field trip options for groups: Simulated Space Missions (please link to mission page) and activity based workshops. Both experiences are hosted by Challenger Flight Directors. Each Flight Director has extensive space knowledge and will inspire your students with the possibility of space exploration.

The Challenger Space Center delivers space-themed, age-appropriate activities, designed to teach kids about Space Science while having fun at the same time!

All Workshops are suitable for one class at a time, but multiple classes can run simultaneously in different classrooms.

Destination Space Station

1st and 2nd Grade

This two-hour classroom field trip facilitated by a Flight Director focuses on the nine planets in our solar system. With the use of team-work, students build an international space station, take a trip to space in the Earth Space Transit Module and through the use of books, video and hands on creative activities learn what it takes to be an astronaut.

Space Place

Ages Pre K and Kindergarten

Take a trip to space in the Earth Space Transit Module. This two-hour classroom field trip is facilitated by a Flight Director. It explores our planet and the solar system in a way that is both fun and educational for students. Through carefully selected books, video and hands on creative activities, students will be captivated by the mysteries and wonders of space exploration by our astronauts and learn what it takes to be an astronaut.

NEO Landing
3rd through 5th Grade

NASA is entering a new era of human space exploration. By 2025, NASA scientists plan to send an astronaut to a Near-Earth Object (NEO) as a springboard to future Mars missions. A voyage to a NEO could take three to six months and cover five million miles. Today’s students who learn how to live and work on these extended NEO journeys are the space travelers of tomorrow. Excite your students about the possibilities of space exploration with this program designed in accordance with Arizona’s 3^rd – 5^th grade standards. A Challenger Center Flight Director will lead your students through a two-hour workshop featuring hands-on activity stations and an interactive demonstration which explores the properties of light which inform us about of the universe. This workshop was formerly known as Moonbase 2020 and has been tailored to match NASA’s new initiative.

Spaced Out
6th through 8th Grade

Today’s students, tomorrow’s space colonists. The path will not be easy but with this early start and proper training, these future astronauts will be ready for the mental and physiological challenges ahead. With the guidance of a Flight Director your class will explore how astronauts are trained and experience first hand the stress of an emergency situation by reenacting the near disaster aboard Apollo 13. Teams of students must design and build a working air filter using only the equipment available to the Apollo crew. In addition, a series of interactive demonstrations will allow the students to investigate the effects of microgravity on the human body.

If you have any questions, or would like to schedule a workshop, please contact our Education Scheduler at: 623-322-2033 or ddesimone @azchallenger.net

Each workshop is $370.00 per session (one classroom). Each session is designed for a classroom of 30 students. Two Chaperones per classroom plus the Educator bringing his/her class is included in the price of the program. If additional Chaperones are needed please call to make special arrangements.

All Education Programs are facilitated by Challenger Space Center Arizona Flight Directors.