Mission Schedule

Make your reservations now for a real-life space adventure for middle school students. The Challenger Learning Center (CLC) is an innovative, educational facility complete with a Space Station and realistic Mission Control. This two-hour, hands-on learning experience is designed to foster interest in math, science, technology, and communication skills. Students serve as the crew in the space lab and mission control.

Teachers must attend mission training before they book their classes.*

Note - Earth Missions are currently unavailable

2008 Missions
September 8 - October 24, 2008: Voyage to Mars
October 27 - 31, 2008: Rendezvous with a Comet
November 3 - December 19, 2008: Voyage to Mars

2008 Missions
January 5 - February 13, 2009: Voyage to Mars
February 16 - Febraury 20, 2009: Rendezvous with a Comet
February 23 - April 3, 2009: Voyage to Mars
April 6 - April 10, 2009: Rendezvous with a Comet
April 13 - June 12, 2009: Voyage to Mars

Please note: Some flexibility in the mission schedule is available for groups scheduling an entire week.

Mission Training for Teachers
To get the most out of the mission simulations, you are required to attend a pre-mission, one-day workshop. In addition to your hands-on training, you will receive a notebook with classroom materials to use with your students. When you sign up for a mission, you must register for a teacher workshop* scheduled at least two weeks before the class visit. There is a materials fee of $25 per teacher.

Please note: Schools that arrive for a confirmed mission without a CLC-trained teacher will be turned away at the door and charged the late cancellation fee of $100.00.

Mission Training Dates for Teachers; 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. each day:

*While training is required only once per mission scenario, booster, or refresher, training is recommended for teachers who have not had training for two or more years. Also, our mission scenarios do get updated, and we add new things to the training packet. Teachers do a better job when they come back for a booster training after a couple of years. In fact, it's not at all unusual for us to see the same teachers every year - many use the training sessions as an opportunity to network with other teachers who've been finding new and creative ways to use CLC materials in the classrooms. We now have a component of the booster training in which veteran Challenger teachers help conduct the workshop.