Learning Launch Pad

Just the transformation of the rundown building at the corner of Maine and Cleveland avenues into an inviting, refurbished structure is remarkable after all these years. Even more exciting than the former military building’s face lift is what will be housed there. At the Challenger Learning Center of Maine, middle school students will be able to fly simulated space missions. Even though the center won’t open until January, several schools have already signed up to attend.

Why the excitement? For the first time, students in Maine will be able to act as astronaut, engineer, navigator, communications specialist and doctor on a space flight that, although simulated, feels realistic. The center will spark young imaginations while imparting important math and science knowledge.

The center is one of 44 in the country built to honor the astronauts killed in the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. Local board members say the simulation is so real that students think they have been to Mars or rendezvoused with a comet. To make it more real, students in grades five through eight and teachers spend months preparing for their visit to the center. In fact, math and science teachers have already begun orientation workshops and will prepare students with six to eight weeks of training this fall before the Bangor center is even open.

Once at the former Air Force theater, students will divide into two groups after an introductory briefing for the two-hour mission. One group will be in charge of mission control at a Johnson Space Center mockup and the other will man the spaceship. Missions include “Return to the Moon,” “Mission to Mars” and “Rendezvous with a Comet.”

By applying their classroom lessons and working in teams, pupils will strive to plot a course and land on the moon, Mars or 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.

It is the kind of exciting learning experience cash-strapped schools cannot offer on their own, but by teaming up, the region is able to offer this astronomical adventure. It was made possible by money from the federal government and the city of Bangor, but mostly the funding came from private donors and corporations. So far, more than $2.5 million has been raised toward its $2.8 million final cost.

Maine students, and many others, can hardly wait for the center’s opening early next year.