BlackboardChallenger Center Presentation Marks 30th Anniversary of First Moon Walk
TALLAHASSEE, Florida - To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's historic walk on the moon, and to introduce Tallahassee to the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering's Challenger Learning Center, center director Richard Fisher will speak at the Leon County Public Library Tuesday, July 20, at 7 p.m. in Program Room A.
"As capital of the Space State, Tallahassee is the perfect location for a Challenger Learning Center. There are only 34 Challenger Centers in the world. This puts the city in a very elite group," Fisher said.
The hour-long presentation will highlight the K-12 science, math and engineering educational mission of the Challenger Center as well as the benefits that can be enjoyed by everyone who lives in the center's 66-county service area.
"With the leadership of astronaut Norm Thagard, the fact we can draw on the resources of two major universities, and that we're in Tallahassee, means we will have one of the premier Challenger Centers in the world," Fisher said.
The two-story, 25,000-square-foot, $6.6 million Challenger Center will include a space mission simulator, a mock-up of Mission Control and a space station laboratory. The center, scheduled to open in January 2001, also will house an IMAX theater, exhibit hall, planetarium and observatory. The city of Tallahassee is considering contributing the $2 million necessary to locate the center downtown.
"The Challenger Centers provide inspirational settings for teachers to prepare students to succeed in an increasingly technical society," Fisher said.
June Scobee Rodgers, wife of Challenger 51-L Commander Dick Scobee, and the other surviving family members of the Challenger crew founded the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in 1986 to continue the crew's educational message. Each year, Fisher expects 10,000 to 15,000 students to visit the center. Fisher expects another 200,000 visitors yearly to tour and use the facility.
Challenger Centers throughout the United States and Canada serve more than 300,000 students and teachers annually.
"Kids are fascinated with aviation and aerospace," said Fisher. "Aerospace education captures students' imagination, stimulates their natural curiosity and motivates them to become inquisitive, active learners."
