Space Mission Simulator

Tiny Explorers is a 2-hour program designed for early learners. Students will enjoy a fun and educational show in the Planetarium accompanied by a hands-on activity to learn about the planets in our solar system. 

Recommended shows for this age include: One World, One Sky; In My Backyard; and Perfect Little Planet 

Mars Explorers is a 2-hour program designed for early learners. Students will fly a mission in our Space Mission Simulator, complete a hands-on activity, and partcicpate in Astronaut Training.

• MISSION – Students will assist our favorite Rover, Perserverance, aka “Percy” with his daily activities on Mars. Learn about food groups, practice comparing shapes and separating colors, and help identify constellations.
• ACTIVITY – Students will learn all about NASA’s newest, most powerful rocket, and even build it stage by stage! Students will leave with an SLS craft activity.
• ASTRONAUT TRAINING – Students will practice their flexibility, dexterity, balance, and endurance with our Flight Directors in this interactive session.

Additional add-ons include:   

• Space Science DEMO (45 minutes)
• IMAX Movie or Planetarium Show (40 minutes)
  • Recommended Planetarium shows for this age include: One World, One Sky; In My Backyard; and Perfect Little Planet
  • Recommended Planetarium shows for this age include: Hubble 3D, A Beautiful Planet 3D, Dream Big 3D

Asteroid Explorers is a 2-hour program designed for early elementary ages. Students will fly a mission in our Space Mission Simulator accompanied by additional hands-on activities.

• MISSION – Students will leave Earth’s orbit to investigate the asteroid Bennu, the subject of NASA’s recently completed OSIRIS-REx mission. Bennu passes by Earth every six years, making it a recurring wealth of scientific data. Students will complete tasks around the spaceship and retrieve samples from an asteroid using the TAGSAM (Touch and Go sample Acquisition Mechanism), bringing back material that will be studied for years to come.
• ACTIVITIES – Students will learn about the most recent space endevors by Space X , including their current Rocket launches. and build it stage by stage. Students will be challenged to add components for efficency, capacity, and other mission objectives. They’ll also complete a Saturn V LEGO build.

Additional add-ons include:   

• Space Science DEMO (45 minutes)
• IMAX Movie or Planetarium Show (40 minutes)
  • Recommended Planetarium shows for this age include: Journey to Space; Perfect Little Planet; Mysteries of the Unseen World
  • Recommended Planetarium shows for this age include: Hubble 3D, A Beautiful Planet 3D, Dream Big 3D

Moon Explorers is a 2-hour program designed for older elementary ages. Students will fly a mission in our Space Mission Simulator accompanied by additional hands-on activities.

• MISSION – Earth’s moon is the only astral object that humans have set foot on thus far, and remains our most constant companion (and only natural satellite). Despite its proximity and the utter fervor of the space race, only around five percent of the moon has been explored. However, we’re working to change that. Students will launch from Earth and complete tasks around the spacecraft, eventually releasing numerous “CubeSats” – ten centimeter long satellites that will orbit the moon and send back data about its surface and the cosmos beyond, studying geology, geography, and the constellations above. As of December 2023, more than 2300 CubeSats have been launched!
• ACTIVITIES – Students will learn about NASA’s Artemis Mission and create a model of the Space Launch System. They’ll also use Sphero robots to complete a Moon Orbit.

Additional add-ons include:   

• Space Science DEMO (45 minutes)
• IMAX Movie or Planetarium Show (40 minutes)
  • Recommended Planetarium shows for this age include: Journey to Space
  • Recommended Planetarium shows for this age include: Hubble 3D, A Beautiful Planet 3D, Dream Big 3D

Venus Explorers is a 2-hour program designed for middle schoolers. Students will fly a mission in our Space Mission Simulator accompanied by additional hands-on activities.

• MISSION – The planet Venus is sometimes referred to as “Earth’s Evil Twin”. The planets are roughly the same size, and Venus is our closest neighbor facing the Sun – with a few major differences. An apparent lack of plate tectonics, temperature extremes, pressure, and an atmosphere made up of carbon dioxide, with sulfuric acid clouds only being some of them. Students will work together to crew a mission orbiting the upper atmosphere of the planet Venus, at a level where the air pressure is more like that on Earth. The crew will learn what investigative efforts have already been made on Venus’ surface and perform their own experiments about pressure, extreme temperatures, and how engineers combat those problems to keep astronauts safe on long missions. By the end of the mission, they will construct a probe to land on the surface of Venus, and retrieve seismic data which may shed some light on the planet’s history and similarity to our own world.
• ACTIVITY – Students will learn about Venus and NASA’S DAVINCI mission that will search for remnants of water Earths Evil Twin. Then, students will create their own mechanism for water discovery on a inhospitable planet. This activity is approximately 1 hour and can be paired with our Venus Explorers Mission.

Add-ons include:   

• Space Science DEMO (45 minutes)
• IMAX Movie or Planetarium Show (40 minutes)
  • Recommended Planetarium shows for this age include: Journey to Space, Mysteries of the Unseen World 
  • Recommended Planetarium shows for this age include: Hubble 3D, A Beautiful Planet 3D, Dream Big 3D

Lunar Quest is a 2-hour simulated space mission for grades 5 and up. 

We need a sustainable habitat on the Moon. Can your students determine where? NASA recently launched a Rover to the Moon to explore new areas and collect critical scientific data. However, the Rover lost power before any of the findings were sent back to Earth. We need a faster and more reliable process to gather this type of information. NASA has a new directive—human astronauts will return to the Moon!

As a team of astronauts, your students must board a Spacecraft and launch to the Moon in search of a long-term habitat. Another team of scientists and engineers are stationed in Mission Control on Earth to command and assist the astronauts on this mission. Once the Spacecraft crew successfully lands on the Moon, they must deploy a Lunar Exploration Rover to identify a suitable location for a sustainable long-term human habitat.

However, when the crew receives troubling readings from below the Moon’s surface, the two teams must work together and make critical decisions to turn a potential catastrophe into NASA’s finest hour.

Photo Credit: Bow Stern Marketing Communications

Space travel is for all ages at the Challenger Learning Center! Become engineers and astronauts in our Mission Control room designed after NASA Johnson Space Center and an orbiting space station modeled after the laboratory on the International Space Station. Adult group missions are great for church groups, neighborhood associations, sororities & fraternities, business teams or other civic groups.

Looking for a unique and fun way to boost employee communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills?
Bring your team to the Challenger Learning Center where crew members work as scientists and engineers to fly a simulated space mission in our space station lab and mission control room. The missions are tailored to meet the specific needs of your group.

• Up to 32 adults (2 hours) – $400
• Mini-Mission: Up to 16 adults (1 hour) – $250

Extend your experience by renting one of our facilities or add on IMAX or Planetarium shows!