BANGOR – Project organizers for the Challenger Learning Center of Maine gathered at Bangor International Airport last week to express their condolences to the families of the Columbia space shuttle crew who died Feb. 1.

The Challenger Learning Center for Space Science Education, the national organization with which the Maine group is affiliated, was formed by the families of the Challenger astronauts as a memorial to their loved ones.

“As people in Maine try to come to grips with the sad news about STS-107,” said Richard Cattelle, vice president of the board of directors, “it will only be natural for some of them to look to us for a perspective on this tragic event.”

In response to inquiries, project organizers announced they would continue the dream – and make sure the Challenger Learning Center of Maine became a reality for Maine students.

Efforts began more than a year ago to build a Challenger Learning Center for Maine’s middle-school pupils.

When the center is complete, fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade pupils will visit the center with their math and science classes. By applying their classroom lessons and working in teams, pupils will strive to plot a course and land on a comet to collect surface samples for scientific analysis.

Pupils will apply the skills they developed at school in a hands-on, interactive environment. Unexpected challenges will push youngsters to think creatively.

The center will be located on Maine Avenue in the former Dow Air Force Base theater, Portland Hall. The location makes it accessible to all middle-school pupils in Maine. Renovations are under way.

“This is the type of program individual school systems cannot afford to build for their students,” Bill Buckley said. “But working together, we can make this cutting-edge educational program available to all students.”

Municipalities, corporations, private individuals and foundations have contributed more than 65 percent of the $2.5 million needed to complete work.

“The only way to preserve the astronauts’ dream is through education,” said Ray Robinson, chief operating officer of Bangor Hydro. “We believe that the Challenger Learning Center provides a mechanism for corporate participation in the education system here in Maine.”

When the remaining $825,000 is secured, construction of the high-tech Mission Control and space simulators will begin. Six months later, the center will begin hosting pupils from across the state.

Children who participate in simulated space missions at Challenger Learning Centers get excited about math and science, subjects vital to success in the 21st century, officials said. Space missions get pupils to play the roles of astronauts, aerospace engineers and mission leaders. Youngsters leave with a new vision – a future without limits, where reaching for the skies is a way of life.

For information on the Challenger Learning Center of Maine, contact Bill Buckley at 941-0860.