Inspiring. Exploring. Learning.
It’s our mission. - Challenger Learning Center of Maine

10-year-old me (and 41-year-old me) was THRILLED to be welcomed into the Challenger Learning Center of Maine. This facility was introduced to Bangor in 2004 and we are lucky to have it here considering there are only 40 of these learning experiences in the world.

Brief Synopsis of the Challenger Learning Center of Maine

Hard to forgot or to not have learned at some point about the 1986 tragedy of the Challenger Space Shuttle exploding just over a minute after launch from Port Canaveral, Florida. On board was to be America's first teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe.

To honor the seven Challenger astronauts on board, the families came together and created the Challenger Center for Space Science Education - a non-profit that has continued the crew's educational message and ultimately led to the development of Challenger Learning Center of Maine.

Students Become Astronauts and Engineers at Challenger Learning Center in Maine

Every camp, birthday party, and field trip are presented with a mission. Students will be introduced to lab science and learn how to collect and record date while effectively communicating discoveries. The missions might include rendezvousing with a comet, exploring Mars, and finding a location on the moon for a long-term habitat.

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As you can tell by the photos, no corners were cut in making this as realistic experience for these astronauts and scientists as possible. Whether they are stationed in mission control, on the shuttle, or in the shuttle's lab, the most important lesson learned through this experience, is that everyone must work together as a team, or nothing will be accomplished.

My Biggest Takeaway from Challenger Learning Center of Maine

It was an honor to be asked to play the role of the news reporter covering this group of students' upcoming mission of locating and sampling a comet. I wasn't necessarily surprised by how much fun the students were clearly having and how much they were enjoying their experience (because again, at their age this experience would have been a dream come true for me), but I was impressed at the respect they had for one another and the confidence they had in themselves.

During the mock press conference, what I witnessed were a group of young, bright minds who appreciated teamwork, understood the importance of communication (and did so brilliantly), and to never give up. The latter was shared with me as their most important lesson learned after getting to spend time with one of Maine's Veterans.

Thank you, Challenger Learning Center of Maine, for not only allowing me to be awestruck by your facility and young astronauts and engineers, but also for the impact you play on the future of these young minds.