THOMASTON – A model of NASA’s space shuttle Challenger is set to leave the Maine State Prison showroom next week for a permanent home at a space simulation and science center in Framingham, Mass., named for the late teacher-astronaut Christa McAuliffe.

Until its departure, the replica of the shuttle, 44 inches long with a 30-inch wingspan, carved from basswood by a prison inmate, will be on display at the prison’s Route 1 showroom.

On a recent trip through Maine, Ray Griffin, administrator for the McAuliffe/Challenger Center at Framingham State College in Framingham, Mass., stopped by the prison showroom, according to prison industries manager Bob Waldron.

After seeing the inmates’ woodworking skills, Griffin called the prison to ask if inmates could carve a wooden model of the Challenger for the center, he said.

Inmate Rod Whitten was chosen to craft the shuttle from basswood, a soft, durable wood, with a base made from cherry. The carving has intricate detailing of each tile on the exterior of the shuttle and some hand-painted lettering, as well as specially ordered decals, Waldron said.

The McAuliffe/Challenger Center at Framingham State College connected the prison with NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which provided the inmate with images, diagrams and charts for the replica project.

The Massachusetts center was named for the late Christa McAuliffe, who graduated from Framingham State before becoming a teacher and later a mission specialist on the ill-fated Challenger flight.

On Jan. 28, 1986, the Challenger and its seven-member crew perished when the craft exploded 73 seconds after liftoff at an altitude of approximately 46,000 feet. The cause of the explosion was later attributed to a booster failure.

The center was established to honor McAuliffe’s commitment to education by providing science and math programs that are closely based on the Massachusetts Science and Technology engineering curriculum, according to the center’s Web site. Some 26,000 students visit the McAuliffe Center each year, Waldron said.

Recently, an unidentified man saw the Challenger model at the showroom, Waldron said, and “wanted to open negotiations” for the piece. He claimed to be the brother of an astronaut and wanted to buy the model.

Whitten took about 300 hours to carve the shuttle, Waldron said, noting it was started in the fall and finished in mid-July. Inmates earn between $1 and $2.50 per hour for their handiwork. The prison will earn $1,650 for the spaceship model, he said.